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Demonstrators taking part in a joint action calling on Japan to revoke its plan to dump contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant stage a depiction of radioactive waste spreading in the waters around Japan on June 8 in Seoul. (Kim Myoung-jin/The Hankyoreh)

A South Korean group called Joint Action to Stop Japan’s Radioactive Water Dump and the office of lawmaker Yoon Mee-hyang, who is on the National Assembly’s Environment and Labor Committee, took part in an international action calling for Japan to revoke its plan to release water contaminated with radioactivity from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean.

The event was held in the yard of the Korea Federation for Environmental Movements, in the Nuha neighborhood of Seoul’s Jongno District, on June 8, which is World Oceans Day.

World Oceans Day was chosen by the UN to raise awareness of the importance of the world’s oceans.

Demonstrators taking part in a joint action calling on Japan to revoke its plan to dump contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant stage a depiction of radioactive waste spreading in the waters around Japan on June 8 in Seoul. (Kim Myoung-jin/The Hankyoreh)

During the action, demonstrators wearing protective suits lay down on a black blanket, representing the ocean, which was decorated with a map of Japan and the radiation warning symbol. Other demonstrators held signs that read, “Don’t nuke the Pacific!” and “Cancel plans to release radioactive water from Fukushima!”

Four civic groups in the US are planning to hold similar assemblies and online events in San Francisco and other parts of California on June 11.

“Even now, one year after the decision was made to release contaminated water from Fukushima into the ocean, no assessment has been made about how this would impact public health or the environment, including the waters off Korea’s eastern coast,” said Kim Eun-hyeong, deputy chair of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions.

“The planet’s oceans are all connected to the livelihood of fishermen and the sustenance of humans and other living creatures. We will join in the struggle to defend our food sovereignty and the livelihood of members of the farming, livestock, and fishing sectors,” Kim said.

Lawmaker Yoon Mee-hyang (second from right) takes part in a joint action calling on Japan to revoke its plan to dump contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant stage a depiction of radioactive waste spreading in the waters around Japan on June 8 in Seoul. (Kim Myoung-jin/The Hankyoreh)

“Since 2019, the majority of Koreans have been opposed to Japan dumping contaminated water from Fukushima into the ocean, but the Korean government has yet to come up with any responsible measures. Since the timeframe for releasing the water is now only a year away, there needs to be an even greater effort for international cooperation,” said Yoon, the lawmaker.

Following the Japanese Cabinet’s official decision on April 13, 2021, to release contaminated water from Fukushima into the ocean Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority signed off on the plan on May 18, 2022.

By Kim Myoung-jin, staff reporter

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