hankyoreh

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Minister of Foreign Affairs Chung Eui-yong (right) and Japanese ambassador Koichi Aiboshi pose (left) pose for a portrait in the Blue House after Moon received Aiboshi’s diplomatic credentials. (provided by the Blue House)

After the Japanese government announced on April 13 its decision to release diluted radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean, South Korean society was once again sent into convulsions.

While the actual dumping of water won’t take place for two more years, the fishing industry is deeply concerned about the potential impact, and there are strident calls for South Korea to partner with China and other neighboring countries to stop Japan from carrying out its irresponsible decision.

A group of 30 university students ritually shaved their heads Tuesday in front of the Japanese embassy, promising to do everything in their power to prevent the contaminated water from being discharged. And during a Q&A session at the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee held on the same day, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Young-ho, who was moderating the session, explicitly described the Japanese government’s decision as “illegal.”

This huge surge of opposition is probably due in large part to the comments made by South Korean President Moon Jae-in Wednesday. When Japanese ambassador Koichi Aiboshi visited the Blue House to present his credentials, Moon noted South Korea’s “very great concerns” as Japan’s closest neighbor, a country that borders the same sea. In a meeting at the Blue House earlier that day, Moon had instructed related ministries to “actively explore” the option of appealing Japan’s decision to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea while pursuing “provisional measures.”

In terms of foreign policy, there’s a vast gulf between the two sets of remarks. A country has every right to express its “strong regrets” to a neighbor for an irresponsible decision about releasing contaminated water. But “actively exploring” legal action at an international tribunal aimed at overruling that decision will inevitably provoke a diplomatic standoff.

In short, Japan can accept South Korea’s expression of regret, but it’s certain to vigorously resist any attempt to use international law to reverse its sovereign decision. Furthermore, Japan currently has strong support from the US and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Since Japan is a bigger country than South Korea, we’re forced to choose battlefields where we have an advantage. It’s unwise to offer battle when there’s little chance of victory. Only two years have passed since the Moon administration brashly pledged to withdraw from its GSOMIA information-sharing agreement with Japan, only to go back on that pledge three months later, to the disappointment of the Korean public.

Such considerations may have informed what happened next. South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong said during a government interpellation session at the National Assembly on Monday that Seoul had no reason to oppose Japan’s decision to release the contaminated water, provided that Japan is in conformance with IAEA standards and that Japan meets Seoul’s three conditions, which include providing sufficient scientific grounds.

Despite the various conditions mentioned, Chung’s comments boil down to South Korea tolerating Japan’s release of the contaminated water. That can be taken to mean that the South Korean government’s diplomatic goal isn’t blocking the release of the contaminated water but ensuring that it doesn’t have a major impact on public health by arranging the release of accurate data and thoroughly monitoring the process of releasing the water.

“We can raise objections if Japan refuses to share information and dumps the water in secret, but not many experts think that releasing the contaminated water is a clear violation of international law,” a South Korean government official told the Hankyoreh.

Before the “provisional measures” that Moon mentioned could take effect, the South Korean government would have to “prove the urgent necessity of preventing serious damage” caused by Japanese measures, Chung said Tuesday.

While announcing the decision, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said that tritium levels in the contaminated water would be diluted to one-fortieth of Japan’s permitted levels before discharge. If South Korea isn’t confident that it can overturn Japan’s decision, it shouldn’t rush into a legal battle.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs seems to have reached a similar conclusion. Its position was evident in a report on Japan’s decision to release the contaminated water — only running for eight pages, including the cover — which it submitted Tuesday to the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee.

The instructions that Moon had made so prominently just six days before didn’t appear at the front of the report but on the final page. And even there, they were only mentioned vaguely, with a promise to “also consider legal measures, including referring the matter to bodies for resolving international disputes.”

When lawmaker Cho Tae-yong, a former first vice minister at the Ministry, asked why the report had been prepared like that, Chung said, “We’ve concluded that it’s too early to be openly mentioning the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. The president asked us to explore that option, and the Foreign Ministry has to take gradual steps to reach that goal.”

I find myself wondering who exactly suggested such a premature idea to Moon. It’s disconcerting to see the president’s remarks, which ought to be carefully measured, being contradicted just six days later.

I hope that the confusion surrounding these developments can be quickly surmounted and that the government can dedicate its diplomatic resources to ensuring the transparent disclosure of information about Japan’s release of contaminated water, given the threat it poses to public health.

By Gil Yun-hyung, staff reporter

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]