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| IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, center, is escorted to avoid protesters at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul after arriving from Japan, Friday, July 7. Yonhap |
The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) arrived in Korea on Friday to explain the analysis of the U.N. watchdog's safety review of Japan's planned release of treated radioactive wastewater from its crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi was met by a group of angry protesters at Seoul's Gimpo airport.
Dozens of protesters gathered in front of the airport's VIP exit, with some of them loudly chanting slogans like "Grossi, go home," "Oppose marine dumping" and "Leave Korea, Grossi."
They occasionally clashed physically with policemen who were positioned in front of a cordoned-off area.
Grossi successfully left the airport around two hours following his arrival using another exit, and went unnoticed by both the protesters and reporters.
Grossi flew in from Japan following the agency's conclusion that Tokyo's plan to release the treated wastewater from the plant into the sea met international safety standards.
While in Japan, Grossi delivered the IAEA's report on the plan to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
The report was seen as a blessing for the planned discharge, expected to begin in August.
However, it prompted serious concerns in other countries, especially Korea, where many believe the IAEA may have neglected or failed to verify the potential long-term impact of the treated wastewater on people and the environment.
The IAEA director general is expected to hold meetings with Yoo Guk-hee, head of Korea's Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, and Foreign Minister Park Jin. He also plans to meet officials from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea next week, according to a party official.
Ahead of his visit here, the Seoul government said Japan's plan to release contaminated water from the Fukushima plant met international standards, including those set by the IAEA, if carried out as planned. (Yonhap)
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| A group of protesters rally at Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul, July 7, ahead of the arrival of International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. Yonhap |
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