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Syuichi Kawashima, a fisher from Fukushima, speaks at a debate on exploring means of solidarity between Korea and Japan on the release of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant held at the South Korean National Assembly on May 9. (Yonhap)

An agreement by South Korean and Japanese leaders to have a team of South Korean inspectors visit the site where Japan is planning to release contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean this summer has drawn criticism from South Korea’s opposition parties and civil society over the past several days.

Their argument is that the Japanese government could use this inspection visit as a rationale for going ahead with the water’s release. Fishers from both South Korea and Japan have been unanimous in voicing concerns about Japan discharging the water into the ocean.

A 71-year-old fisherman named Syuichi Kawashima from Fukushima spoke during a debate at the National Assembly on Tuesday that was organized by the Justice Party to help Koreans and Japanese work together “to block the unauthorized dumping of radioactive water.”

“Rockfish still aren’t being sold in Fukushima because radionuclides have turned up in testing. It’s heartbreaking for Fukushima fishers to see rockfish being sold at the morning market in Miyagi Prefecture [on the north side of Fukushima Prefecture],” Kawashima said.

“Releasing contaminated water from the nuclear plant is an important issue that directly impacts everyone who shares the world’s oceans. Fish — along with the rest of the ocean’s plant and animal life — pay no mind to national borders,” the Fukushima fisher said during a press conference on Tuesday.

“We should think about this issue from the perspective of ocean life, rather than from that of humans.”

Syuichi Kawashima, a fisher from Fukushima, speaks at a debate on exploring means of solidarity between Korea and Japan on the release of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant held at the South Korean National Assembly on May 9. (Yonhap)

Yu Yong-ye, a 44-year-old haenyeo (female diver) on Jeju Island, also spoke during the debate.

“For the haenyeo, [releasing contaminated water from the nuclear plant] amounts to a demand to abandon our livelihood. If we can’t prevent this catastrophe that’s right around the corner, we need to be vocal about finding a way to make a living,” she said.

“I’m concerned that Japan will just use the [Korean observers’] trip as a pretext for dumping the contaminated water in July as it’s already planning to do,” said Lee Jeong-mi, head of the minor opposition Justice Party.

“What we need to do is totally scrap the plans for releasing the contaminated water and consider alternative solutions to this issue following a scientific review process.”

That idea has the backing of the Democratic Party, South Korea’s biggest opposition party. Kim Han-kyu, the party’s floor spokesperson, addressed the observers’ visit, which is supposed to take place on May 23-24, during a briefing on Tuesday.

“Two weeks [before the visit] is hardly enough to prepare for an overseas trip. Perhaps the Yoon administration just wants to clear the way for Japan to dump radioactive water at Fukushima,” Kim said.

“If this isn’t just for show, there needs to be a scientific assessment of safety that people in both countries can find persuasive.”

But the ruling People Power Party (PPP) dismissed these concerns as being “urban legends on the level of the ‘mad cow disease’ scare” and launched a “defend our ocean task force” to assess the release of contaminated water and take appropriate steps.

“The opposition party is totally uninterested in reviewing the facts of the matter. The PPP task force will protect public health by taking a purely scientific approach,” said Sung Il-jong, the PPP lawmaker who is chairing the task force.

By Lee Woo-yun, staff reporter

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