Concerns are growing among South Koreans over the safety of seafood ahead of Japan’s release of wastewater from the disabled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the ocean over the course of 30 years, despite “scientific” assessments which indicate that seafood consumed by Koreans has been, and will continue to be, safe.
Some consumers have already started to hoard goods like sea salt out of fear that clean marine products might no longer be available, upon news that the contaminated water will likely be coming their way after several years of circulating in the Pacific Ocean.
In a country where a single person is estimated to consume nearly 70 kilograms of seafood each year, news about hoarding has only added to people’s fears.
A woman surnamed Kim, a 36-year-old who just opened a holiday rental property in the southern part of Korea, said she would no longer enjoy the happiness that comes from eating seafood.
“I don‘t feel like buying either local or imported seafood because I don’t want to die from a serious illness,” she said.
“Holiday rental property operators here might start to feel the heat when the peak season starts in July. … I fear that our beloved coast might turn into a toxic place.”
Fishers say the news doesn’t bode well for their livelihood, as Korean consumers will continue to lose their appetite for local seafood if public fear persists over the Fukushima wastewater release.
“The livelihood of fishers is being threatened,” said Joo Hae-gun, chairman of the National Fisheries Federation which represents over 100,000 fishers in Korea, at a rally held on June 12 near the National Assembly.
Korea is just one of Japan’s neighboring countries that are keeping a close eye on the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant’s upcoming release of over 1.3 million cubic meters of contaminated water into the sea after treatment.
A task force under the International Atomic Energy Agency is set to release a final assessment, likely before the end of June, over whether Japan’s water treatment technology would work to keep the level of radioactivity below the regulatory guideline.
Awaiting the IAEA announcement, Seoul has been holding daily briefings since Thursday — largely in favor of Japan’s planned Fukushima wastewater disposal — to address the “lack of information or spread of misinformation” that intensifies public fear, said Park Ku-yeon, first vice minister of government policy coordination.