Oceans and Fisheries Minister Kang Do-hyung speaks during a press conference at the Government Complex Sejong, Thursday. Courtesy of Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries

Oceans and Fisheries Minister Kang Do-hyung dismissed concerns, Thursday, about the government's decision to cut next year's budget for ensuring the safety of treated radioactive wastewater released from Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant which started a year ago.

He assured that the ministry will maintain stringent safety inspections of local seafood, prioritizing efforts to protect the health of Korean consumers.

"We have been thoroughly monitoring Korean seas, as well as the seas in the east of Japan and near the Pacific islands," Kang said during a press conference.

The government proposed a 1.4 percent increase in the budget for the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries next year, allocating 6.7 trillion won ($5 billion).

The increase falls short of the proposed 3.2 percent growth rate of the government's total expenditures for next year.

Additionally, the ministry's budget only accounts for 1 percent of the entire budget.

In particular, next year's budget for addressing Japan's wastewater has been reduced by 60.1 billion won, bringing it down to 671.8 billion won.

The budget for promoting the seafood consumption dropped by 33.8 billion won to 429.2 billion won, while the budget for supporting fishermen fell by 30.5 billion won to 192.8 billion won.

The budget for measuring radioactivity in seas and seafood is 35.5 billion won.

This is in stark contrast to last year's decision on a 40 percent increase in this year's budget to address issues related to wastewater from Fukushima.

The ministry attributed the budget cut to the completion of purchases for radioactivity measurement devices and the establishment of the necessary systems this year. Additionally, there has been a decrease in consumer concerns about seafood safety.

"Thanks to our wise citizens who trust in scientific data, our seafood has quickly regained trust," Kang said.

The minister added that the government's previous spending to cope with the wastewater issue was a kind of investment in people's health and safety, despite the recent conflict between rival parties at the National Assembly over the necessity of the expenditures.

However, he noted that a larger portion of the budget should have been allocated to collecting marine litter and supporting the fishing industry.

Packs of seaweed are on display at a traditional market in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

In response to concerns about skyrocketing seafood prices, the minister pledged to make every effort to control the rising costs.

Although rising seawater temperatures have affected the supply of some fisheries products, Kang said that the shortage has had a limited impact on prices.

He also said that the stabilization of seaweed prices depends on the output of newly harvested seaweed next month.

With the rise in seaweed exports and prices due to increased popularity of Korean culture, the ministry has taken a series of measures to stabilize seaweed prices, including issuing new licenses to aquaculturists.

During the press conference, the minister was also asked about the ministry's plans to address the seafood trade and climate policies of the next U.S. president.

Although he refrained from speculating on the election outcome, he told reporters that he plans to assess the situation in the U.S. during his upcoming visit to the United Nations headquarters later this month.