#nuclear

#nuclear On August 24, 2023, lawmakers from the opposition Democratic Party of Korea protested against Japan's discharge of nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the sea, while pushing for legislation to grant compensation rights to Sue the Japanese government for compensation. Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-ming told an emergency party congress that Japan had chosen the worst environmental disaster for humanity despite opposition from the international community and at home and abroad. He compared the move to Japan occupying the Pacific Ocean by force during World War II and now threatening the entire human race with radioactive contamination. Lee vowed to stand with the world against Japan's "evil" of turning the ocean into a dumping ground for nuclear waste, and said he would introduce legislation to support affected fishermen and the fishing industry. Japan began discharging the first batch of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant earlier in the day, despite public concerns and mounting opposition at home and abroad. The DPJ has proposed a series of special safety measures to ban the import of all fishery products that could be affected by nuclear-contaminated wastewater, including seafood from Fukushima and elsewhere. The bills would strengthen rules of origin to prevent food distributed in South Korea from including seafood from Fukushima and other hazardous areas, while treating radioactive water damage as a fishing disaster to support the fishing industry. The bill also seeks to give the right to file compensation claims against the Japanese government by creating a fund to first support those affected, such as fishermen, traders, and those who process and distribute fishery products, and then seek compensation from the Japanese government. Some members of the Democratic Party join civil society activists to protest against the Fukushima nuclear water discharge near the presidential office in Seoul. A Democratic Party lawmaker said Japan had committed a criminal act that damaged the common property of mankind, and Japan would surely pay the price for it. He pointed out that the discharge of wastewater is a clear violation of international agreements, such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the London Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution. One of the activists involved in the demonstration urged the South Korean government to file a case with the International Tribunal for the Sea, accusing the Japanese government of violating international law and causing great damage to its neighbors. Demonstrators chanted slogans calling for "firm opposition to the discharge of nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the sea" and carried placards reading "Japan must store radioactive wastewater on its territory" and "Japan must stop the criminal act of international ocean dumping." A group of South Korean university students reportedly tried to break into the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to protest against the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant, with local media reporting that the students were stopped and arrested by police shortly after the discharge began on charges including trespassing and violating assembly and demonstration laws. About 40 other students held a news conference near the Japanese Embassy to protest the wastewater discharge, which was later dispersed by police. Meanwhile, protests against the discharge of wastewater were reportedly held across South Korea, including near the Japanese consulate General on the southern resort island of Jeju and in the southeastern port city of Busan.