A South Korean district court on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit filed by a civic association demanding that Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. halt its plan to discharge treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean.
The ruling comes as the company, with the Japanese government's approval, forges ahead with its plan to start releasing the water this summer amid opposition among many in South Korea, though Seoul announced its support for the plan in July after the International Atomic Energy Agency assessed it as safe.
The Busan District Court said in its ruling that the plaintiff's claim was based on an international treaty that regulates the dumping of waste at sea.
But the treaty, known as the London Convention, is only applicable between countries, the court explained.
The court added that it could not determine it had jurisdiction over an international case in light of legal provisions and judicial precedents.
The civic association, a coalition of over 160 groups based in the southeastern port city of Busan, has claimed that the release of the radioactive water will contaminate fish in the seas off from the city, threatening the health and lives of people who eat them.
After the ruling, a lawyer of the plaintiff said they will file an appeal as they cannot accept the outcome.
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