Korea's Fukushima inspection in limbo

Tanks containing water from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant are seen at the power plant in Okuma town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, March 8. Reuters-Yonhap

Tokyo plans to serve food from Fukushima at G7 summit

By Lee Hyo-jin

Korea's upcoming inspection of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is facing uncertainty with less than a week left until the dispatch of the delegation, as little progress has been made in talks with Japan on detailed plans.

Seoul and Tokyo have so far agreed that the inspection team, comprised of some 20 experts, will make a four-day visit to Fukushima including the dates May 23 and 24.

On Wednesday, the foreign ministries of Korea and Japan held a second meeting to discuss further details of the inspection plan. The closed-door virtual meeting between deputy-general-level officials lasted for over four hours, but the two sides failed to reach an agreement on specifically what the Korean inspectors will be allowed to examine.

"Yesterday's meeting focused on technical issues such as the specific place and time of the inspection. However, as several issues require further discussions, we are continuing the talks through diplomatic channels," foreign ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk said during a briefing, Thursday.

Lim added that the Office for Government Policy Coordination will make an official announcement on the inspection plan once the details are settled, without giving an exact timeline.

During Wednesday's discussions, the Japanese officials reportedly declined the Korean government's demand to disclose the main facilities of the Advanced Liquid Process System (ALPS), a filtration process used to remove radioactive contamination from the water.

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But a foreign ministry official said on Thursday that the Japanese officials had been cooperative during the meeting and that the two sides are still engaging in discussions in order to arrange minor details.

While negotiations with Japan are seemingly stalled, the Korean government seems to be lowering its expectations for the inspection.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said the main role of the inspection team is "rechecking the water treatment procedure and facility." This was somewhat different from the government's initial stance that the inspection will be a "de facto verification" of Japan's water treatment capacity and the operation of discharge facilities.

Han also said the Korean delegates will not collect samples of the treated water, as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is currently conducting a comprehensive review.

Yang Ki-ho, a professor of Japanese studies at Sungkonghoe University, expressed skepticism that the Korean delegation will be able to conduct a thorough inspection.

"If they don't return home with samples of treated water, sending the inspection team is meaningless at this point in time when Japan will most likely push ahead with the water discharge," he said. "Plus, it's a big mistake of the government not to include civilian experts in the panel, as they would be able to offer more objective views without political calculation."

Officials from Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, right, hold a meeting with Japanese officials to discuss the details of Korea's planned inspection of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, at the ministry headquarters in Seoul, May 12. Yonhap

Concerns are also rising that the inspection team may not even be able to travel on the scheduled dates if the two countries fail to finalize the details in the coming days.

"There wouldn't be any problem if we were to conduct a general inspection from the outside (of the treatment facility), but we are planning to go inside the facility, which is classified as level 1 (in terms of national security)," Park Ku-yeon, a senior official at the Office for Government Policy Coordination, said during a National Assembly session on Wednesday. "So we will have to provide the list of people who will be entering at least one week in advance."

Meanwhile, according to Japanese media reports, Tokyo is planning to serve food containing ingredients from Fukushima Prefecture at the upcoming G7 summit, in what is viewed as a move to dispel concerns over agricultural and marine products from Fukushima. Although Korea is not a G7 member state, President Yoon Suk Yeol will attend the meeting at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

"It isn't surprising that Japan is seeking to use the international event involving heads of state for their own advantage," Yang said, noting that former President Lee Myung-bak was also offered cherry tomatoes and other vegetables produced in Fukushima during his visit to the region in May 2011, two months after the earthquake and tsunami struck the power plant.

"And given that the G7 member states, except Germany, do not categorically oppose the water release plan, it would be awkward for Korea to lodge official complaints about the food."