▲ In this file photo, officials at Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, speak to journalists at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station on Feb. 2, 2023. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) S Korea-Fukushima inspection

(LEAD) S. Korean experts to examine water dilution, discharge facilities on 2nd day of Fukushima inspection

(ATTN: ADDS more info in paras 6-9; AMENDS dateline)

TOKYO/SEOUL, May 24 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean team of experts visiting the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant will inspect facilities for dilution and discharge of radioactive water Wednesday amid concerns over Tokyo's plan to release tons of contaminated water into the sea this summer.

The 21-member team, headed by Nuclear Safety and Security Commission Chairperson Yoo Guk-hee, is currently on a six-day visit to Japan to assess whether the treated water is safe enough to be discharged into the sea.

On Tuesday, the experts began a two-day inspection of the Fukushima nuclear plant and examined the plant's custom purification system, known as ALPS, and facilities related to the K4 tanks, which are designed to store and conduct measurements of radioactive substances.

The team plans to visit a nuclides analysis facility and examine the seawater dilution system and discharge facilities later in the day.

It will also be briefed by Japanese officials about the "concentration levels (of radiation) before and after ALPS treatment," Yoo told reporters earlier.

Critics have raised questions over the limited role of the visit, downplaying it as a mere formality and insufficient in verifying the safety of the discharge process.

South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin dismissed such criticism, saying the experts are thoroughly examining the facilities, addressing all issues of concern with the Japanese authorities and obtaining scientific data.

"It is not right to devalue the work of our team that is working hard (in Japan)," Park said during a plenary session of the diplomacy and unification committee at the National Assembly. "The team is not a sidekick (of Japan)."

He also reaffirmed that the government will not consider lifting its ban on seafood imports from the Fukushima area unless "public concerns are eased."

In March 2011, a massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami damaged the Fukushima plant's cooling systems, resulting in the release of a large amount of radiation.

The plant currently stores over 1.3 million tons of water treated by ALPS. The water discharge is set to begin this summer and will take decades to complete, in what Japanese officials view as an unavoidable step in the decommissioning process.

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