{"id":2201077,"date":"2023-05-18T19:27:37","date_gmt":"2023-05-18T10:27:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2201077"},"modified":"2023-05-18T19:27:50","modified_gmt":"2023-05-18T10:27:50","slug":"troubled-waters-how-fukushima-inspection-plan-could-backfire-for-yoon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/troubled-waters-how-fukushima-inspection-plan-could-backfire-for-yoon\/","title":{"rendered":"Troubled waters: How Fukushima inspection plan could backfire for Yoon"},"content":{"rendered":"

Signaling improved ties between Seoul and Tokyo, President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida <\/span>announced<\/span><\/a> earlier this month that South Korean experts would be allowed to inspect the impending release of radioactive water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the Yoon administration could soon find itself in hot water as it grapples with mounting pressure from the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) and a failure to hammer out what exactly the South Korean delegation will be allowed to do while in Japan.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith regard to the contaminated water from Fukushima, we agreed on the dispatch of an on-site inspection team of South Korean experts,\u201d Yoon said after a summit in Seoul with Kishida this month.<\/span><\/p>\n

The shift in attitudes is startling considering the South Korean Olympic team\u2019s decision to bring their own food from Korea to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 due to apprehensions over potential radiation from Fukushima. No other country took such precautions and the U.N. nuclear watchdog said travelers faced no radiation risk in the capital.<\/span><\/p>\n

The parameters of the South Korean delegation\u2019s mission and what exactly they are supposed to accomplish are at best ambiguous, inviting a volley of <\/span>criticism<\/span><\/a> from the main opposition.<\/span><\/p>\n

Democrats contend that the presence of the Korean inspection team might merely serve to help Japan justify its decision to discharge the Fukushima nuclear power plant\u2019s contaminated water into the sea.<\/span><\/p>\n

DEVIL IN THE DETAILS<\/b><\/p>\n

South Korean and Japanese officials held their <\/span>second meeting<\/span><\/a> on May 17 to discuss the on-site inspection in Fukushima. The meeting, however, concluded without any substantial progress, marking another deadlock in Seoul and Tokyo\u2019s ongoing negotiations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Amid the detailed working-level discussions, the two nations found themselves at an impasse, unable to settle on the specifics of the proposed inspection, including its scope and itinerary.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This standoff reflects a deeper disagreement between the two countries on the issue, throwing South Korea\u2019s plans to dispatch a team of nuclear experts to inspect the Fukushima plant and conduct what they say is a thorough scientific evaluation of the contaminated water into uncertainty.<\/span><\/p>\n

But it is worth noting that Japan <\/span>requested technical assistance<\/span><\/a> from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2021 to monitor and review its plans and activities related to the discharge of the Fukushima plant\u2019s treated water to ensure they will be implemented in a safe and transparent way, commensurate with international nuclear safety standards.<\/span><\/p>\n

At least one South Korean opposition lawmaker has <\/span>questioned<\/span><\/a> the credibility of the IAEA task force\u2019s latest safety report on Japan\u2019s plan.<\/span><\/p>\n

With the clock ticking towards the Hiroshima G-7 summit and the Japanese government\u2019s plan to release the water \u201c<\/span>around this spring or summer<\/span><\/a>\u201d because it is <\/span>running out of space<\/span><\/a> to store it all, both countries have opted against further face-to-face or video conferences. Instead, they\u2019ve decided to leverage diplomatic channels to agree on which facilities can be inspected and what data can be made accessible.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yoon\u2019s decision to hastily dispatch experts to Tokyo, made under such pressing circumstances, could potentially backfire at home, raising additional concerns for his administration.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at a joint press conference in Seoul, May 7, 2023 | Image: ROK Presidential Office<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

ET TU, TAIWAN?<\/b><\/p>\n

Taiwan lifted its longstanding ban on food imports from areas surrounding Fukushima in Feb. 2022, a ban originally implemented following the <\/span>nuclear disaster<\/span><\/a> in 2011.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Just a month later, a Taiwanese inspection team visited the Fukushima nuclear power plant under the guidance of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). They scrutinized various aspects, from the projected spread of radioactive substances to tritium analysis and detection technology.<\/span><\/p>\n

The team did not make substantial recommendations, according to <\/span>South Korean media<\/span><\/a> assessments, only suggesting that Japan share marine monitoring data and verify its adherence to discharge safety standards.<\/span><\/p>\n

Taipei found itself in a complex diplomatic situation. In 2021, it had expressed <\/span>suspicion<\/span><\/a> over Tokyo\u2019s decision to release the contaminated water, yet it lifted its 11-year seafood ban from Fukushima.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Critics have highlighted that the timing of this decision appears to have been influenced by Taiwan\u2019s negotiation with Japan to <\/span>join<\/span><\/a> the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) \u2014 a move that required the unanimous approval of all existing member states.<\/span><\/p>\n

This scenario presents a cautionary tale for Yoon, who leads a country where Japan is not particularly popular. Despite facing <\/span>political opposition<\/span><\/a>, Taiwan\u2019s Tsai government resumed the import of Japanese seafood \u2014 a decision her political opponents perceived as a concession to Japan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This perpetuated the <\/span>impression<\/span><\/a> among some in South Korea that Taiwan\u2019s inspection of the Fukushima nuclear power plant was largely a mere formality that served to legitimize Japan’s predetermined actions.<\/span><\/p>\n

If the South Korean public perceives Yoon\u2019s actions as serving Japan\u2019s interests for the sake of earning Tokyo\u2019s diplomatic favor, it would become difficult for Yoon to contain the diplomatic fallout.<\/span><\/p>\n

PRECARIOUS GROUNDS<\/b><\/p>\n

As South Korea and Japan struggle to finalize details regarding the Fukushima nuclear power plant inspection, Yoon is facing increasing pressure from his domestic opposition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the IAEA\u2019s close coordination with Japanese authorities, on-the-ground inspections at Fukushima dating back several years and <\/span>substantial scientific evidence<\/span><\/a> that the wastewater poses almost no risk to the Korean Peninsula, the Yoon administration will find it difficult to escape the narrative that it is soft on Japan if the nuclear expert team returns from the site and doesn\u2019t present some sort of opposition to the wastewater release plan.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Yoon administration is focused on nurturing healthier relations with Tokyo, a strategy aimed at stabilizing precarious supply chains amid strained relations with Beijing. Further, the administration seeks to bolster cooperation between the U.S., South Korea and Japan as a pivotal strategy to exert pressure on North Korea.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The administration is already unpopular, and it will have even less political capital to expend if it cannot escape the narrative that it is \u201c<\/span>subservient<\/span><\/a>\u201d to Korea\u2019s former colonizer.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the <\/span>latest polls<\/span><\/a>, Yoon\u2019s ruling People Power Party (PPP) is trailing behind the Democratic Party (DP) across numerous voting demographics. Yoon\u2019s hold on power is tenuous, and he could find himself and his party punished by voters in the upcoming parliamentary elections.<\/span><\/p>\n

Navigating this diplomatic quagmire will test Yoon\u2019s leadership and political acumen, shaping his administration\u2019s future in the process.<\/span><\/p>\n

Edited by Arius Derr<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Domestic Politics<\/span><\/a>Inter-Korean & Foreign Relations<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Signaling improved ties between Seoul and Tokyo, President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced earlier this month that South Korean experts would be allowed to inspect the impending release of radioactive water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant. 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