[사설] The decision to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant must be withdrawn

Japanese media report that the Japanese government will finally decide on a policy to dump the polluted water generated by the explosion at the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea in a resolution on the 29th. Even if not next week, the policy on ocean release appears to be solidified within the Japanese cabinet. The problem of treating contaminated water from nuclear power plants is likely to have a major impact not only in Japan, but also in neighboring countries. As a geographically closest neighbor, we cannot contain our concerns about arbitrary attempts to implement measures that have much opposition even within Japan without the consent of neighboring countries.

The contaminated water from Fukushima began to form when the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant exploded during the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. When a problem occurred in the cooling system that cools the reactor, the nuclear fuel melted at high temperatures, and rainwater and groundwater flowed into the damaged nuclear power plant building, leading to contamination. Even today, TEPCO has separately filtered and stored between 160 and 180 tons of contaminated water, which continues to occur every day, through ALPS. Japan explains that 1.23 million tons have already been accumulated and, at the current rate, the total storage capacity of 1.37 million tons will be full by October 2022.

The Japanese government and TEPCO argue that through ALPS, radioactive materials other than tritium are filtered out at a concentration much lower than international standards. However, the Mainichi Shimbun noted that out of 1.1 million tons of contaminated water that went through the ALPS process, only 27% of the contaminated water met the emission standards set by the Japanese government. 6% is said to be 1 ~ 20,000 times the standard value.

Tritium, which cannot be filtered by ALPS at all, is inevitably concerned. The Japanese side argues that tritium, also called tritium, is a relatively weakly toxic substance in nature and has no problem since other nuclear power plants also release it. However, it is known that the concentration of tritium contained in polluted water is very high compared to that of general nuclear power plants. It is diluted in water, but the total amount is the same. Furthermore, the European Commission on Radiation Hazards warned that if low concentrations of tritium continue to enter the body, damage to DNA and reproductive function can be inhibited.

For this reason, not only fishermen, but also a large number of Japanese citizens oppose ocean discharges. Since the process of gathering opinions within the country was not sufficient, the process of obtaining the consent of neighboring countries could not have been faithful. TEPCO recently announced that when 1000 tons of contaminated water were treated for the second time, the main radioactive materials fell below the standard. However, it does not reveal specific figures on what material fell and to what extent.

Since seawater circulates through ocean currents, there is a study that it reaches Jeju Island after 200 days and the East Sea after 80 days. It is understandable that Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong and other local governments in the coastal region would file a lawsuit if the Japanese government ultimately decides to release her.

In fact, the Japanese government’s claim that time is short is also a very self-centered judgment. This is because it stands to reason that the timing of the decommissioning of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which is scheduled for 2051 to 2051, could be delayed with a lot of money. However, since this problem affects its own citizens, neighboring countries and future generations forever, it is necessary to find another way while saving time by expanding the storage tanks near the nuclear power plant. In the absence of other alternatives, at least there should be a system to seek the understanding of neighboring countries and carry out unloading operations under an international surveillance system.

The Korean government has been operating a joint TF team of related ministries in the Office of State Affairs Coordination since the Japanese side first mentioned the ocean discharge policy in 2018. However, there is no other notable activity other than ask Japan to disclose data. This can lead to irreversible situations once the download begins. First, the Japanese government must postpone its final decision and make all diplomatic efforts to find alternatives.