| John Kerry, U.S. special presidential envoy for climate, speaks during a press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul, Sunday. Courtesy of U.S. Embassy in Seoul |
US climate envoy confident on Japan's consultation with IAEA
By Nam Hyun-woo
Korea's efforts to entice the international community to join its campaign to protest Japan's decision to discharge contaminated water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant are failing to gain traction, with a U.S. presidential envoy reiterating Washington's stance that it was confident in Tokyo's move.
During a press conference in Seoul, Sunday, John Kerry, U.S. special presidential envoy for climate, said, “the U.S. is confident that the government of Japan has had full consultations” with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regarding its decision to release the contaminated water.
“What is key is Japan's continued coordination with the IAEA as it monitors the process,” Kerry said. “It is important to have effectiveness of the implementation and the dilution process be carefully pursued. But we have confidence that Japan has worked very closely with the IAEA, and will continue to.”
The remarks came a day after Kerry and Minister of Foreign Affairs Chung Eui-yong discussed joint efforts between Seoul and Washington to tackle climate change and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
During their meeting over dinner, Chung expressed the Korean government's concerns on Japan's April 13 decision to discharge the contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean and asked that Washington play a role in persuading Tokyo to share transparent and precise information on this matter with the international community.
President Moon Jae-in also expressed concerns on Japan's decision. “There is much concern here about the decision as a country that is geologically closest and shares the sea with Japan,” he said when new Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Aiboshi presented his credentials, April 14. Following this, Moon ordered government officials to explore petitioning an international court over Japan's decision.
Despite the concerns, Kerry said the U.S. was unwilling to play an active role in Korea's campaign to protest the release.
“I know that Japan has weighed all the options and it has been very transparent in the process,” the envoy said.
“We think we have confidence in the ability of IAEA and Japan and our relationship with the agency. We need to see how it progresses, and how they do, but we're not planning right now, we don't think it is appropriate for the U.S. to jump in to a process that's already underway and where there are very clear rules and expectations.”
With the U.S. stepping back from this issue, Korea is taking on both political and technical challenges to counter Japan's planned release of more than 1 million tons of contaminated water, which will start in 2023 after it is filtered to remove harmful radioactive isotopes.
Japan has said it will release the water, containing tritium, a radioactive isotope byproduct of nuclear fission, in accordance with globally accepted nuclear safety standards. The IAEA said it believes the water disposal method is “technically feasible.”
To overturn the IAEA estimation, Korea needs to verify the damage that will result from the radioactive water, which is yet to be released, thus it is requesting Tokyo to share information.
| Minister of Foreign Affairs Chung Eui-yong poses with U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry during their meeting at the former's official residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul, Saturday. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
Kerry visited Korea Saturday following a four-day trip to Shanghai, where he discussed cooperation with his Chinese counterpart on the climate issue before the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate which will be hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden later this week.
Biden has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping and leaders of more than 40 countries to the virtual meeting scheduled to take place Thursday and Friday. President Moon will also participate to showcase Korea's commitment to climate issues before the virtual P4G Seoul Summit on May 30 and 31. P4G, or Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030, is a forum pursuing inclusive and sustainable growth.
“China has to make its own announcement about the decision of who participates and how. President Xi is invited, and we very much hope that he will take part,” Kerry said.
As an outcome of his visit, the U.S. and China released a joint statement addressing the climate crisis, a rare act of cooperation coming on the heels of rising tension between the economic powerhouses.
Asked if the U.S. is expecting more active engagement from the Korean government on this issue, Kerry said it is “up to the Korean government” and “we will continue to have dialogue.”