The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency will make a three-day visit to South Korea later this week to discuss the findings of its review of Japan's plan to release treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, Seoul said Tuesday.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi will arrive in South Korea on Friday following a four-day trip to Japan and deliver the agency's final report and safety assessment of the water discharge plan, according to the South Korean government.
Grossi will meet the head of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, South Korea's nuclear safety watchdog, to brief the review, said Park Ku Yeon, the first deputy chief of the Office for Government Policy Coordination.
"The director general will (also) go through other schedules, including a meeting with Foreign Minister" Park Jin, the first deputy chief said.
Since Japan announced its decision to release treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean in April 2021, there has been strong opposition to the plan among the South Korean public due to concerns that the water could be harmful to people's health and the environment.
The South Korean government sent a delegation of experts to Japan to assess the safety of the water in May, when they observed the water treatment system at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The facility in northeastern Japan was hit by a massive earthquake and an ensuing tsunami in March 2011.
South Korea's fisheries ministry has been holding a series of nationwide briefings for the public since early last month to explain seafood safety, in an effort to ease people's worries.
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