STORY: S. Koreans oppose IAEA report on Fukushima nuke wastewater discharge plan
DATELINE: July 9, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:31
LOCATION: Seoul
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the demonstration
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Korean): YONG HYE-IN, Lawmaker of the minor progressive Basic Income Party
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Korean): PARK GWANG-HOON, Resident in Seoul
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Korean): KIM CHOONY, Secretary general of the Korea Federation for Environmental Movements (KFEM)
5. SOUNDBITE 4 (Korean): LEE KI-SAM, Fisherman from South Jeolla province

STORYLINE:

A group of South Korean citizens gathered in central Seoul on Saturday to voice opposition against the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) final report on Japan's planned discharge of nuclear wastewater into the Pacific.

The protesters include civic activists, politicians, and fishermen.

They demonstrated near the South Korean foreign ministry building, where the visiting IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi was scheduled to meet with the South Korean foreign minister.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Korean): YONG HYE-IN, Lawmaker of the minor progressive Basic Income Party
"Japan's nuke wastewater discharge plan is obviously irresponsible.
Discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean is not the only solution. The subcommittee on handling the advanced liquid processing system (ALPS) treated water has proposed five disposal plans, of which the discharge into the ocean is the cheapest one.
No matter how much the cost is, I think the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) should show an attitude of taking full responsibility, because the nuclear accident took place in their own country.
But currently, even real-time data and transparent information sharing cannot be achieved."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Korean): PARK GWANG-HOON, Resident in Seoul
"(The IAEA) fully accepted Japanese demands and announced that there was nothing wrong with the discharge plan. I think this is a language war.
(The report) is just for Japan. I believe that all countries sharing the ocean will be harmed by nuclear radiation, so we must prevent it from being discharged.
Japan, as a country that signed the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), should be responsible for this."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Korean): KIM CHOONY, Secretary general of the Korea Federation for Environmental Movements (KFEM)
"We must consider whether it violates the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter 1972, and I personally believe that it is a violation.
And the UNCLOS is the supreme charter to protect the world's common asset - the ocean. Japan's nuke wastewater discharge plan obviously violates the convention."

SOUNDBITE 4 (Korean): LEE KI-SAM, Fisherman from South Jeolla province
"Fishermen see the (IAEA) report as a complete mess. The report includes a phrase stating that (the IAEA) is not responsible for whatever will happen. The report is not scientific but was formulated in favor of the Japanese government and TEPCO. The Western countries had been somewhat in favor of or kept silent over the release, but they shouldn't be like this. The West should raise an agreed voice to prevent disaster for all mankind."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Seoul.
(XHTV)