| Four lawmakers, including Rep. Woo Won-shik of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, second from left, speak to the press at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul before departing for Japan to protest the Fukushima wastewater release, Aug. 26. Yonhap |
Four Korean lawmakers attended a protest rally in Japan's Fukushima on Sunday to call for a halt to the release of radioactive water from the region's destroyed nuclear power plant into the ocean.
Reps. Woo Won-shik and Yang Yiwonyoung of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, Rep. Kang Eun-mi of the minor Justice Party and independent lawmaker Yang Jung-suk flew to Japan on Saturday, and joined the protest with Japanese civic groups, fishermen and politicians, including Emi Kaneko of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.
The rally was organized by a coalition of some 300 civic, political and labor groups opposed to the discharge.
"Even though the Yoon Suk Yeol government is in support of the ocean dumping by Japan's Kishida government, a majority of Koreans are clearly opposed to this," Woo said during the protest, referring to President Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
"Yesterday afternoon in Seoul, more than 50,000 people shouted their objection against the dumping of contaminated water," he said. "We are clearly opposed to the Kishida administration's criminal act of damaging the ocean, which is the common property of humanity."
Woo warned of all measures as possible in accordance with international law, such as claiming indemnity against Japan, to stop the discharge. He also said the collective action is "not an issue of anti-Japanese sentiment."
On Monday, the lawmakers plan to hold a roundtable discussion with legal professionals on the water release issue at the National Diet of Japan in Tokyo.
Japan began releasing the treated radioactive water from the Fukushima power plant into the ocean Thursday, despite lingering concerns in Korea and China about its potential impact on people's health and the environment.
Japan's move came after the International Atomic Energy Agency gave the green light to the water's disposal. (Yonhap)