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South Korea will send a 21-member team of government experts to Japan next week to visit the Fukushima nuclear power plant where they will review contentious Japanese plans to release treated but slightly radioactive water into the sea.
The six-day visit starting Sunday will focus on examining the plant’s processing system, which reduces radioactive materials from contaminated water, and whether the treated water would be safe enough to be diluted and discharged into the ocean, officials said Friday.
The safety of the water for years has been a sensitive issue between the U.S. allies, who are now working to repair long-strained ties to address joint challenges like the North Korean nuclear threat and China’s assertive foreign policy.
After a summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol this month, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that his government had agreed to host a team of South Korean experts at Fukushima to calm South Korean concerns about food safety, in a show of his desire for improved ties.
Japanese officials say the South Korean visit to the plant will not amount to a genuine inspection, as the safety of the water discharge plan is already under review by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which may publicize the results next month.
The South Korean experts will be briefed by Japanese officials over water treatment details and discharge plans on Monday before visiting some facilities at the Fukushima plant on Tuesday and Wednesday. The South Koreans will then have “in-depth technical discussions” with related Japanese authorities based on their observations on Thursday before returning home, Park Ku-yeon, first vice minister of South Korea’s Office for Government Policy Coordination, said during a briefing.
