Hundreds of people in South Korean took to the streets of Seoul on Saturday to protest against Japan’s contentious plan to release treated nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean.
Choi Kyoungsook of activist group Korea Radiation Watch said radioactive substances in the water “will eventually destroy the marine ecosystem”.
Last month, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), published a report endorsing Japan’s plan.
A few days later, South Korea released its own assessment that found that discharging the water should “not have any meaningful impact on our ocean areas,” according to government minister Bang Moon-kyu.
US President Joe Biden is due to meet his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk Yeol and Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida next week for a trilateral summit, where the controversial plan will be discussed.
“The governments of South Korea, the US, and Japan should view it an environmental disaster, rather than a political issue, and agree to block it for future generations,” Ms Choi said.