▲ Main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung (C) speaks at the party's leadership meeting in Seoul on July 31, 2023. (Yonhap)

DP-Fukushima

DP leader calls for halt to Fukushima release plan in letter to Kishida

SEOUL, July 31 (Yonhap) -- The leader of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) has sent a letter to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that calls for a halt to Tokyo's plan to release radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean, the party's spokesperson said Monday.

Rep. Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the DP, sent the letter via the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on Friday to convey "people's concerns and opposition" to the planned release, according to the DP's chief spokesperson, Rep. Kwon Chil-seung.

Lee also called for a serious reconsideration of the plan, saying the ocean that Japan plans to release contaminated water into is an "ocean of children to be born in the future and all living beings on Earth," according to Kwon.

The DP leader also requested in the letter forming a permanent consultative group regarding the release and suggested conducting an environmental impact assessment on the plan. He also urged Tokyo to work with the international society and come up with safer alternatives, Kwon said.

Additionally, Lee said he will wait for a weighty decision from Kishida so that the bilateral relationship can develop into one fostering peace in East Asia, Kwon added.

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