IAEA expert: Transparency, oversight can boost confidence in Fukushima water release

By Oh Seok-min

VIENNA, June 10 (Yonhap) -- Public confidence in Japan's release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant can be strengthened through transparency and independent oversight, an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) expert said Wednesday.

Last week, Japan began the 20th round of discharges of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean. The plant was crippled by a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

Amid concerns over possible radioactive contamination, South Korea has banned seafood imports from Fukushima and seven neighboring prefectures since September 2013, maintaining that consumer confidence must first be restored before any easing of the restrictions sought by Japan.

"There were concerns about the release of the radioactive water to the sea. We do not guarantee to Japan, 'We will confirm your results.' No. We will go, we will measure ourselves, and we will publish it," Juraj Rovny, head of the Operational Safety Section at the IAEA, told reporters during a seminar for journalists organized by the agency in Vienna.

The expert also highlighted the IAEA's peer review services, under which independent experts and agency officials assess nuclear facilities and publish their findings.

"When the public sees that the local operator invites independent experts and the IAEA to conduct a review, and they publish their findings, I think that's one of the things that builds the trust of the public," Rovny said.

"You need to be transparent. You need to give people the opportunity to ask questions, to understand and to see," Rovny added, noting that public perception is a sensitive topic and requires "very patient work."

In his remarks delivered at a IAEA Board of Governors meeting Monday, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said the agency continues its independent review and monitoring of the discharge of Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS)-treated water from the Fukushima power plant.

"We have been supporting transparency through science in this way since August 2023," Grossi said.

Six missions covering environmental and source monitoring were conducted last year, and laboratories from South Korea, Japan, China, Russia, France, Belgium, New Zealand, Switzerland and the IAEA analyzed identical samples to verify analytical accuracy, reliability and data quality, according to Grossi.

"In May, we conducted our sixth Task Force mission, assessing monitoring programs and carrying out on-site observations. The IAEA continues to verify the accuracy and reliability of radionuclide measurements before, during and after each discharge," he added.