By Kang Seung-woo
The government suspended food imports, Friday, from four Japanese prefectures hit by radioactive materials leaking from the crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima.
The temporary ban applies to food products from the radiation-contaminated Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma prefectures in northeast Japan, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Among the banned items are spinach, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips and milk, which have been currently placed on the Japanese government’s list of food restricted for consumption or shipment due to radioactive contamination.
“We are closely examining every food import from Japan, but so far none have failed to pass tests,” Yook Dong-han, a deputy minister at the premier’s office, told reporters after a government policy coordination meeting.
The suspension came two days after the government said it would temporarily freeze imports of Japanese food if there was a possibility of serious radioactive contamination in the first meeting of a committee tasked to come forward with safety policies.
Yook said the government will impose additional bans on food from the island nation if the Japanese government adds new items to its banned list.
The nation’s major retailers have already suspended imports of food and products from Japan to ease growing consumer concern over possible contamination.
The agriculture ministry and the Korean Food and Drug Administration also set up taskforces to oversee measures to ensure the safety of Japanese food imports, officials said.
Seoul also plans to introduce 13 more portable radiation detectors next week in addition to 11 devices that have already been put into operation. Officials said they will mobilize more equipment from nuclear research institutes if necessary.
With the action, Korea has become the latest nation to restrict Japanese food imports. Following a succession of explosions at Fukushima that stoked global concerns, the United States, China, Russia, Australia and Singapore have suspended food imports.
On March 11, a devastating earthquake and tsunami slammed into northeast Japan, leaving an official death toll of over 10,000 with 17,500 people missing.
ksw@koreatimes.co.kr