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 ▲ Professor Kim Ik-joong, Dongguk University School of Medicine (former member of the Nuclear Safety Committee). (Material photo) |
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| Ⓒ Kwon Woo-sung |
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“You mean you can’t believe what the Japanese government says.”
Kim Ik-joong, former professor at Dongguk University School of Medicine. He constantly refuted the claims of the Japanese government. It was the Japanese government’s treatment plan for radioactive material contaminated water from Fukushima on the 16th. The Japanese government announced that it would purify contaminated water “twice” and then release a “certain amount” into the sea each year. and it is scheduled to end on the 27th. Professor Jeon Kim said: “We cannot confirm the announcement of the Japanese government” and said, “Our government must take action.”
He has also served as a member of the Korea Atomic Energy Safety Commission, and is an expert who has continuously reported on the severity of radioactive contamination in Japan after the Fukushima nuclear accident. How do you evaluate the Japanese government’s policy of dumping radioactive materials? If the polluted water is purged twice and discharged into the sea, as Japan argues, will the problem of environmental pollution disappear? <오마이뉴스>I conducted a telephone interview with him on the 17th.
Professor Jeon Kim said: “Japan is said to discharge contaminated water because there are not enough tanks to store contaminated water, but if you build a tank, it will stop” and “actually, it would cost you to manage the contaminated water, so it would have decided download it “. .
Professor Jeon Kim also believed that polluted water would cause environmental pollution, contrary to Japanese claims. He argued: “Some of them, including tritium, are not completely removed even if they are purified,” he said. He also predicted that “Korea will be affected as it gets closer to Japan.”
He said that to avoid harm to people, the government should step forward so that our experts can directly check the purification status before Japan spills contaminated water. Professor Jeon Kim said: “The Korean government should receive samples of polluted purified water from the Japanese side, assess its safety and risk, and weigh the extent of harm to the Korean people. Otherwise, we have to put in a rain that stops imports. completely. “Yes, I do” he insisted.
“Even if the Japanese government ‘cleaned up’, who’s going to check?”
-In the summer of 2022, the Japanese government announced that it would launch it into the sea, saying that tanks to store contaminated water will be in short supply. When such a policy is finally decided, Tokyo Electric Power, a nuclear power plant operator, said 1.23 million tons of polluted water will flow into the Pacific Ocean over 20 to 30 years. Do you think it is a valid story?
“No. You just need to build a tank. The polluted water is nuclear waste. It is not a high level, but it is a medium level. Of course it is okay to build and store tanks for people. Rather, the Japanese government decides to release them. to reduce the money spent on administration. I would have done it. “
For reference, it is true that the amount of contaminated water at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is increasing. This is because rainwater or groundwater is filled into the circulating coolant that cools the nuclear fuel in the nuclear reactor that caused the explosion in 2011 when the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred.
-The Japanese government believes that if the polluted water is purified twice and then discharged into the sea, it will not have a significant impact on the environment.
“First of all, it is not perfect. There are quite a few elements that are not cleanly purified, including tritium, which stands for a radioactive isotope. But, more fundamentally, I can’t believe in Japan. The Japanese government says it has been ‘purified’. How do you believe what you say? Who can go see it?
Japanese civil society is weak and Japan’s nuclear safety committee is just a scarecrow. There is another reason why the Japanese government cannot be trusted. They decided to discharge the contaminated water without building a tank to save maintenance costs. However, the money goes to the purification of contaminated water. If you want to spend less money, of course you don’t want to clean. “
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| ▲ Fukushima nuclear power plant photographed last year by international environmental group Greenpeace | |
| Ⓒ Greenpeace provided |
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In fact, according to a survey conducted by Tokyo Electric Power in 2018, it was revealed that radioactive substances above the standard value, such as cesium, strontium and iodine, were found in 80% of the contaminated water purified by the multi-nuclide disposal facility. (Alps). All of them are substances that can harm the human body if they exceed the standard.
-Which countries, besides Japan, are the most affected by the discharge of the Fukushima nuclear power plants?
“Of course it is Korea. But how much will be affected, as I said before, you need to know the amount of discharge. I cannot believe the Japanese announcement. Again, if the polluted water flows into the sea, both the North Pacific and the Marine products will be contaminated. Can you eat it? Whether it exists or not depends on how much the government sets the standard for edible radiation contained in aquatic products. “
“A Korean expert should check the safety and risk, and if not, even stop importing”
-What should the Korean government do before Japan discharges contaminated water?
“The Japanese government will announce that it will release ‘several krel of contaminated water per kilogram’ before discharging the contaminated water.” However, since the Japanese government cannot be trusted, the Japanese government asked Japan to verify the purification status of the contaminated water before discharge. It is a request for risk and safety assessment after Korean experts send and receive samples.
If, as Japan claims, the purification is done correctly and only tritium remains, the amount of exposure (the amount of radiation minced) can be calculated to determine the harm to the Korean people. Since it is possible to approximate the amount of shellfish Korean people consume per year or the amount of shellfish imported from Japan, at least one alternative can be prepared. “
-And if Japan doesn’t respond?
“If the government says it will not comply with the pre-inspection, the government has to pressure it to stop importing Japanese aquatic products altogether. Currently, the Korean government is banning the importation only of fishery products caught in eight prefectures near Fukushima, where nuclear power plant explosion occurred, and radioactive material test certificate In addition, imports of Japanese aquatic products are on the rise, while China also prohibits the import of seafood from regions more than 200 km from Fukushima , including Tokyo “.
According to data received from the Korea International Trade Association last year by Democratic Party lawmaker Choi In-ho, the amount of imported Japanese seafood, which decreased to $ 1.77 million in 2014 after a radioactive accident , increased to $ 146.3 million in 2018, the level before the Fukushima nuclear accident. It was found to be close to 2010 revenue ($ 225.22 million).
-What is the last thing you want to say?
“Under our law, low and medium level radioactive waste must be stored for 300 years until it returns to its natural state after its half-life. There will be such a standard in Japan. Now, Japan’s actions are against it. the law. As such, our government has also made concessions to public safety. No. We must ask the Japanese government for a preliminary inspection, otherwise we will have to stop importing seafood. “
