S. Korea sends experts to monitor Fukushima release as part of regular visits: official

By Kim Han-joo

SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea dispatched a team of experts to Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant Tuesday as part of regular visits to monitor the release of contaminated water into the ocean, according to an official.

"This visit marks the first onsite activity since the first round of water release concluded on Sept. 11," Park Ku-yeon, first deputy chief of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, said during a daily briefing on the Fukushima issue. The controversial release had commenced on August 24.

The two countries earlier agreed on regular visits by local experts to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) field office located in Fukushima after President Yoon Suk Yeol asked Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to include South Korean experts.

An undisclosed number of nuclear experts from the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety also intend to hold talks with IAEA officials and visit key facilities at the plant, including the monitoring control room, during their visit, according to Park.

Meanwhile, Japan is set to release additional contaminated water three more times by next March, according to the Seoul government.

khj@yna.co.kr
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