South Korean President Decries Communist Lies Over Fukushima to Disturb Free Society

South Korea confirms treated water from Fukushima is below radioactivity threshold

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during the 104th Independence Movement Day ceremony in Seoul, South Korea, on March 1, 2023. Jung Yeon-Je - Pool/Getty Images

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has condemned communist forces that he says were pushing propaganda about seawater pollution over the release of treated wastewater from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster.

The pollution concerns, he said, fly in the face of scientific assessments regarding the safety of the treated radioactive water, which is being released transparently and in accordance with U.N. safety guidelines. The fear-mongering propaganda has incited a wave of public panic and calls to boycott Japan over its alleged seawater pollution.

But according to plant operator Tepco, which is being audited by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Fukushima’s discharge of treated wastewater will contain about 190 becquerels of tritium per liter, which is well below the World Health Organization drinking water limit of 10,000 becquerels per liter. A becquerel is a unit of radioactivity.

But despite the facts, China said it remained opposed to the planned release of the treated water, saying the Japanese government hadn’t proved that the water discharged would be safe. It also announced an immediate blanket ban on all aquatic products from Japan.

The Fukushima Daiichi plant was destroyed in March 2011 after a massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake generated a powerful tsunami that caused meltdowns in three reactors.

“The communist totalitarian forces, opportunistic followers, and anti-state forces are still inciting anti-Japanese sentiment and misleading the ROK–U.S.–Japan cooperation mechanism from Camp David as if it would put the Republic of Korea and its people in jeopardy,” Mr. Yoon said on Sept. 1 at the opening ceremony for the 60th anniversary of the diplomatic service held at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy in Seoul.

Just a few days before, on Aug. 29, the South Korean president made similar remarks at a meeting on democracy, peace, and unity held at Cheong Wa Dae: “Communist totalitarian forces, the forces that blindly follow them, and the opportunist followers are engaging in psychological warfare to disturb free society through false fabrication, propaganda, and instigation, and they will not stop.”

Mr. Yoon’s anti-communism remark comes at a time when deliberate speculation and inaccurate reports have been spread regarding the treated water being released from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Despite the IAEA’s statement that Japan’s water release meets global safety standards, China’s ruling communist party, possibly in an attempt to divert attention from its domestic economic crisis, has propagandized that Japanese nuclear “wastewater” will be fatal for the environment, inciting a boycott of Japanese seafood and stirring up anti-Japanese sentiment among the public. Meanwhile, communist forces in South Korea have also joined in the chance to escalate anti-Japanese sentiment in the country.

This has the South Korean president worried, he said.

“In such a reality, in order to defend liberal democracy and grow our capabilities for unification by developing into a global pivotal state, your roles are more important than ever,” Mr. Yoon told several hundred attendees, including the new leaders of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, a Korean executive body.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio hold a joint news conference following three-way talks at Camp David, Md., on Aug. 18, 2023. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Mr. Yoon also said that the results of the Korea–U.S.–Japan Summit, convened at the U.S. presidential villa in Camp David on Aug. 18, was an unprecedented tripartite declaration in support of “a unified Korean Peninsula that is free and at peace.”

He explained that the United States, Japan, and South Korea have decided to exercise joint leadership and responsibility in order to turn the combined crises and challenges of the Indo-Pacific region and the world into opportunities.

“The interests of the three countries are not exclusive, but universal and just,” the president said.

Radiation of Released Water Within Safe Range: South Korean Government

Japan’s Ministry of the Environment announced on Aug. 27 that it had analyzed the results of seawater samples taken from 11 locations within a 40-kilometer radius of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant the day after the release of the treated water from the plant and found that the concentration of tritium—a radioactive substance—was below the lower limit of detection at all locations, which it said, alongside international partners, indicated that the water release will have “no adverse impact on human health and the environment.”

The South Korean government also carried out emergency radiation tests from around 30 sites in its affected waters. Seoul’s oceans ministry stated on Aug. 29 that the concentration levels of cesium and tritium stood well below the standard set by the World Health Organization for drinking water.

South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said on Aug. 30 that he would consider renaming the “contaminated water” from Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. He said that what is discharged into the ocean is sewage that has been treated according to scientific standards, Yonhap News Agency reported.

A fishmonger arranges seafood at the Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market in Seoul on July 6, 2023. JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images

In an effort to allay public concerns about the release of the treated contaminated seawater, on Aug. 28, Mr. Yoon and Mr. Han ate seafood for their weekly lunch at the regular meeting.

The Presidential Office staff cafeteria also served a seafood meal that day, in an attempt to signal that seafood products in Korea remain safe after the release of wastewater from Fukushima.

At the request of Mr. Yoon, the Yongsan presidential cafeteria offered a week-long menu utilizing Korean seafood products starting on Aug. 28.

On Aug. 31, Mr. Yoon visited Korea’s largest seafood products market and checked the safety of arriving produce. He also purchased some seafood himself.

Alert to Communist Forces

On Aug. 15, the 78th anniversary of Korean National Liberation Day, Mr. Yoon addressed Japan as a partner that shares universal values and the pursuit of common interests, stressing the need for strong joint Korea–Japan and Korea–U.S.–Japan security cooperation in the face of an increasingly aggressive communist China and North Korea.

He particularly criticized some opposition parties and civil society groups that “blindly align with communist and authoritative powers, distort public sentiment through false narratives, and incite disturbances within society.”

“The forces of communist totalitarianism have always disguised themselves as democracy activists, human rights advocates, or progressive activists while engaging in despicable and unethical tactics and false propaganda,” he said.

“As the totalitarian forces disrupt and attack our societies, they take full advantage of the legal rights enshrined in free societies. That is the way they survive.”

“We must never succumb to the forces of communist totalitarianism. We must not be deceived by those who follow and serve them,” he added.

Mr. Yoon has long been known for his strong anti-communist stance. During South Korea’s February 2022 presidential race, he expressed his concern over what the future of South Korea would look like if left in the hands of minority dreamers enthralled by communist left-wing revolutionary theory who “seek to slowly transform [South Korean] society into a socialist state rather than a liberal democracy.”