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Activists attempted to deliver a water cooler modified to look as though it carries irradiated water from the Fukushima nuclear disaster to the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on June 7, but were stopped by police. (Kim Bong-gyu/The Hankyoreh)

On Wednesday, one day ahead of World Ocean Day on June 8, activists made a water delivery to the Japanese Embassy’s front door. Only the water wasn’t fresh spring water, but supposedly the irradiated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Hwang In-cheol, the climate and energy team leader at Green Korea, and Lee Je-seok, director of Jeski Social Campaign, attempted to deliver a model water cooler modeled to look like hazardous wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant to the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, but were stopped by police. The embassy did not sign for the delivery.

Activists attempted to deliver a water cooler modified to look as though it carries irradiated water from the Fukushima nuclear disaster to the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on June 7, but were stopped by police. (Kim Bong-gyu/The Hankyoreh)

The environmental activists explained their reasoning as having been “to expose the Japanese government’s lie that the wastewater is safe and clean, and to demonstrate the truth that the radioactively contaminated water is undrinkable and endangers all citizens of the world and marine ecosystems.”

Speaking during the performance, Hwang asked, “If the radioactive wastewater is safe like the Japanese government and TEPCO says it is, then why don’t the people in charge of the Japanese government drink it?”

Activists attempted to deliver a water cooler modified to look as though it carries irradiated water from the Fukushima nuclear disaster to the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on June 7, but were stopped by police. (Kim Bong-gyu/The Hankyoreh)

“Stop glossing over the fact that this is dangerous, undrinkable irradiated water,” Hwang said. “[Japan] can’t be allowed to endanger the people of the world by dumping this in the ocean.”

“We urge the Japanese government to opt for a safer and more realistic alternative of storing the water on land,” Hwang went on.

June 8 marks World Ocean Day, a day meant to bring awareness of the precious role that oceans play in our lives.

Activists attempted to deliver a water cooler modified to look as though it carries irradiated water from the Fukushima nuclear disaster to the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on June 7, but were stopped by police. (Kim Bong-gyu/The Hankyoreh)

Activists attempted to deliver a water cooler modified to look as though it carries irradiated water from the Fukushima nuclear disaster to the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on June 7, but were stopped by police. (Kim Bong-gyu/The Hankyoreh)

By Kim Bong-gyu, senior staff writer

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