The boat of captain Hwang Seong-hyun remains docked due to a lack of customers in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Kim Tae-yeon

Hwang Seong-hyun, 44, a boat owner, let out a deep sigh in a small fishing village in the southeastern coastal city of Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, Wednesday.

Hwang, who started a business three years ago taking fishing guests out to sea, said, "Tourism has dropped significantly, and sales have plummeted by nearly 90 percent compared to before."

When asked why, he replied, "Even though people say there's no problem with Japan's contaminated water, the impact seems inevitable. I'm seriously feeling the livelihood threats I was worried about before the release last year."

True to his words, Hwang had not received a single customer in four days, leaving his boat docked at the city's Seonchon Harbor and his business at a standstill.

As of Saturday, a year has passed since Japan began releasing contaminated water from the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

While the fear has somewhat subsided compared to a year ago, thanks to the government's assurances of no radiation impact, the anxiety over consuming seafood remains strong. Academic debates over the safety of the released water also continue.

Tongyeong Central Traditional Market is quiet on Wednesday, with only occasional customers. Korea Times photo by Kim Tae-yeon

Quiet seafood markets

Fishers who have depended on the waters off Tongyeong for decades unanimously agree that the demand for seafood has dropped.

"Prices for abalone, sea cucumber and turban shell have been cut in half compared to last year in severe cases," said Lee Nam-kwon, 75, who has been diving for more than 30 years. While it's true that fish catches decrease as water temperatures rise, the drop in prices must be due to the decrease in demand."

A woman diver, Son, 58, added, "The economic downturn and lingering concerns about contaminated water likely caused a decline in consumption."

Ji Wook-chul, the head of Seonchon Village, said, "Compared to last year, the consumer sentiment toward seafood has shrunk. Not only fishers but also residents involved in leisure and accommodation businesses have been affected."

Tongyeong Central Traditional Market's seafood alley, which would typically be bustling with customers in the evening, was noticeably quiet.

Jeong Mi-hye, 56, a third-generation vendor, said, "Sales have dropped by half compared to last year. Although the number of customers worried about contaminated water has decreased since the initial release, there are still those who turn away as soon as they hear something is from Japan."

Even consumers visiting the market admitted they couldn't completely shake their worries while purchasing seafood.

Lee Soo-hyun, 43, who came to buy squid, said, "In the early days of the release, I avoided eating seafood altogether, fearing it might be harmful to my health. Now I mainly consume domestic seafood, since no radiation has been detected."

A banner inside the Gyeonyu Fish Market in Tongyeong reads, "The government and the Fisheries Cooperative will only supply seafood that has been verified for safety," Thursday. Korea Times photo by Kim Tae-yeon

Controversy over contaminated water persists

To alleviate these concerns, the government has been conducting consistent radiation tests over the past year. As of Aug. 19, a total of 49,633 radiation tests have been conducted at 165 domestic sites and 18 sites in international waters, with no instances of exceeding safety standards in domestic waters or seafood.

However, civic groups continue to argue that the risks posed by the contaminated water are far from over.

The Fukushima Issue Citizen Science group, composed of experts in medicine, environmental health and marine science, held a press conference on Thursday to point out limitations in the government's testing methods.

Baek Do-myung, a former Seoul National University public health professor, said, "Rather than randomly sampling for testing, we should be tracing the food chain where tritium and radiation can be transferred."

Experts stress that since the discharge of wastewater will continue for decades, the South Korean government and people must remain vigilant over Japan's actions.

As of Sunday, 62,490 tons of contaminated water have been released into the sea, with 1.3 million tons yet to be discharged.

"The removal of highly radioactive nuclear fuel debris hasn't even started, and the water being released now is just a diluted solution," said Seo Kyun-ryeol, a professor emeritus of nuclear engineering at Seoul National University. "By 2027, highly concentrated radioactive materials are expected to be released, and the government must take action to prevent this from happening."

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.