Seoul Demonstrators Rally against Fukushima Water Release Plan (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Hundreds of demonstrators converged in Seoul on Saturday to protest Japan's proposed release of treated radioactive water from the tsunami-ravaged Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean.
Vivid footage captured protesters brandishing banners and flags at the heart of South Korea's capital, while vigilant police officers oversee the gathering from the periphery.
Japan intends to gradually discharge treated water, employed to cool the compromised reactors of the Fukushima facility, into the Pacific Ocean. This initiative secured the green light from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Daily, the power plant generates around 100,000 liters of contaminated water. Approximately 1.33 million tons, essential for cooling the cores of the nuclear reactors that underwent meltdown in 2011, are presently stored on-site and anticipated to reach maximum capacity shortly.
The IAEA investigation concluded that the proposal aligns with global safety standards and would exert a 'negligible' impact on both people and the environment.
Scheduled to commence in late August, the process faces opposition from various quarters, including the fishing community and neighboring countries like China.
The Fukushima nuclear station, buffeted by a 9.0 magnitude undersea earthquake in the Pacific Ocean in March 2011, endured a catastrophic tsunami that inundated three reactors, ultimately precipitating a triple meltdown. This incident stands as the gravest nuclear mishap since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.