Home › Korean-Japanese citizen walking march › [Walking 1,600 km to oppose the discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima] 3. With messages from citizens

[Walking 1,600 km to oppose the discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima] 3. With messages from citizens

By liferoad.org on December 3, 2023 • ( 0 )

Along with the resolution of Daegu citizens

Ten days after leaving Seoul, Kim Jwa-gwan, professor emeritus of environmental engineering at Catholic University of Pusan, published a column in the Korea Nuclear Phaseout Energy Society. This is introduced as follows.

Fukushima nuclear power plant contaminated water

The main content of this column is:

“Radioactive substances are believed to be concentrated in phytoplankton up to 200,000 times higher than in seawater, 4,000 times in seaweed, kelp, and zooplankton, and 3,000 times in shellfish. Cesium is concentrated 20 times in phytoplankton, It is said to be 50 times more concentrated in seaweed and kelp, and 60 times more concentrated in shellfish. In fact, as a result of a survey conducted by the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology on a total of 34 types of major marine products inhabiting waters around Korea from 2015 to 2017, in the case of cesium, seaweed and kelp are 60 times more concentrated. The investigation report states that an average concentration of 126 times that of seawater was confirmed, and that crustaceans (crabs and prawns) were enriched by an average of 31 times, molluscs (shellfish) were enriched by an average of 25 times, and fish were enriched by an average of 75 times. Generally, radioactive substances in seawater are enriched. “During the transition process, the level of consumption by phytoplankton at the lowest trophic level is high, and this can be one hundred thousand to one million times higher than the concentration in the water.”

As I passed Cheonan and entered Sejong City, it started to rain. Citizens marching through the rain.

Sejong citizen Cho Sang-ho walked with me every morning for three consecutive days.

Cho Sang-ho left the message, “Nature belongs to the next generation, not us.”

Father Kang Seung-su, who walked with me through Sejong City in the rain, writes a message.

“Dumping nuclear waste into the ocean is throwing it into our mouths.” He wrote great phrases.

Middle school students I met in Yeongdong. When they found out that I was walking to Tokyo, Japan, they shouted “Fighting!”

With Comrade Jeong Jun-il and Comrade Lee Dong-geun at Nogeun-ri Peace Park

The number of citizens who gave us drinks, saying, ‘You are doing a good thing,’ increased.

Comrades who crossed Chupungnyeong together

Comrade Jeong Jun-il did not spare any support in both material and spiritual ways. As if he were walking himself.

This message from Comrade Jeong Jun-il was greatly liked by the Japanese comrades.

Passing through Gimcheon’s Yeongnam First Gate

Around this time, this exquisite illustration was floating around the Internet.

While staying overnight at St. Benedict Monastery in Waegwan, I met Father Park Hyeon-dong. This person is also the chairman of the Ecology and Environment Committee of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, the official organization of the Catholic Church.

He made a banner with a message from Pope Francis’ speech and hung it on the wall. “We are called to form a constellation that can guide and illuminate the path of humanity.”

A seminar was held in Daegu to coincide with my arrival. It was a debate that was rich in content and gathered public opinion.

Through this seminar, Daegu citizens adopted a resolution to be delivered to the Japanese National Assembly and delivered it to me. This is an outstanding resolution.

Daegu citizens adopt the following resolution and ask me to deliver it to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the representative of the Japanese National Assembly. It is a prestigious resolution with faithful content. Introducing this,

[Daegu citizens’ resolution against ocean dumping of Japanese nuclear contaminated water]
We strongly oppose the Japanese government’s ocean dumping of nuclear contaminated water!
We condemn the Korean government’s act of aiding and abetting the discharge of nuclear contaminated water!
Let Daegu and Hiroshima citizens take the lead in preventing the discharge of nuclear contaminated water!

The discharge of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean, as predicted by the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company, is imminent. The moment nuclear contaminated water from the worst nuclear power plant accident is discharged into the sea, the ecosystem is destroyed and humanity, at the end of the food chain, faces an unprecedented threat. Even though the facts are clear, the Japanese and Korean governments seem to have joined hands and are waging a propaganda war against the public, claiming that marine disposal of nuclear-contaminated water is safe. Accordingly, our Daegu civic group reaffirms the facts below and will vigorously engage in a nationwide resistance movement to stop the discharge of nuclear contaminated water. We will stand in solidarity with the citizens of Hiroshima, our sister city, to condemn the anti-democratic crimes of both countries and fulfill our responsibilities to nature and descendants. I declare that I will do my best.

Discharging Fukushima nuclear contaminated water into the ocean is not safe.

Japan has argued that discharging nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean is safe based on the opinion of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). However, it is a well-known fact that the IAEA is an international interest group that fundamentally maintains the maintenance of the nuclear energy system, and the claims of its identical twin, the Japanese government, cannot be directly believed. Japan is the country that provides the third largest amount of money to this organization in the world. Moreover, according to recent reports, the IAEA’s final safety inspection report, which is expected to be released just before the discharge of contaminated water, has already concluded that it is ‘absolutely safe’ after receiving a bribe from Japan. In a situation like this, how can we trust the Japanese government’s claims?

A total of 1.32 million tons of nuclear contaminated water currently exists in 1,073 tanks at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant site, which are in the final stages of discharge, and about 140 tons of contaminated water are still being produced every day. Among the 1,000 types of radioactive substances released during nuclear fission, there are about 200 nuclides that persist for a long period of time. However, the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company are only disclosing 64 types among them, and after applying a measuring instrument that detects only gamma rays to a bottle containing contaminated water purified by a polynuclide remover (ALPS), they claim that there is no problem with the stability of radioactive contaminated water. They are being unreasonable. If it is that safe, the Japanese government can use contaminated water whose safety has been secured for agricultural or industrial purposes even if it is difficult to use as drinking water. Why are they trying to discharge supposedly safe nuclear-contaminated water into the sea, a common asset of mankind, even 1km away from the coast of Japan? It’s like covering heaven and earth with the palm of your hand.

Ocean dumping of nuclear-contaminated water causes irreversible and fatal damage to the ocean, which is the home of countless creatures and an asset for all of humanity. Even if the harm is not immediately visible, radioactive pollutants gradually concentrate in marine plants and microorganisms, which in turn concentrate in large quantities in larger organisms, ultimately causing disaster for humanity at the end of the food chain. Those who call themselves experts claim that discharging nuclear contaminated water into the ocean is safe. However, doesn’t their argument forget the basic attitude of scientific inquiry, which must be humble in front of the order of nature, which is a complex and long-term operation of numerous factors? It is a truth that even children know that humans are a part of nature and must live together with nature.

Ocean dumping of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water is not justified.

The Yoon Seok-yeol government claims to be an agent of the Japanese government and emphasizes the safety of nuclear-contaminated water discharge, but this is actually a ploy to conceal the truth by framing it as ‘safety’ against the public. Even if ocean dumping of radioactive materials is harmless to the human body, ocean dumping of nuclear-contaminated water is not justified. The IAEA is intentionally ignoring the so-called ‘General Guidelines for Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment (GSG-8)’, which states that facilities and activities that generate radioactivity hazards must produce economic, social, and environmental benefits. The Japanese government is pushing ahead with its actions of destroying nature and the ecosystem by dumping the results of nuclear power plant accidents that occurred in the country into the sea, a treasure trove of life, which has little benefit to the economy, society, and environment of Pacific island countries, including Korea. Since it does not create any GSG-8, it is a clear violation of international law.

Article 194, paragraph 2 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea states as follows: “A country shall take all necessary measures and ensure that pollution arising from accidents or activities under its jurisdiction or control does not spread outside the areas over which it exercises its sovereign rights.” And Paragraph 3 of the same Article states, “Measures shall be taken to minimize, to the greatest extent possible, the emission of particularly persistent, toxic, hazardous or noxious substances from sources of pollution through land, air, or ocean dumping.” However, the Japanese government has not complied with all of these conventions. In addition, Articles 197 and 200 of the Maritime Act provide for international cooperation and information disclosure obligations, but the Japanese government is also violating these provisions, concealing the truth and pursuing its own interests. Isn’t this behavior a sign that they are still unable to reflect on the crimes of history they committed?

The Yoon Seok-yeol government must stop aiding and abetting ocean dumping of nuclear contaminated water!
Even though the facts are clear, the Yoon Seok-yeol government is trampling on the opposing public opinion of 85% of the public, supporting Japan’s position, and engaging in absurd false propaganda to the public that ocean dumping of nuclear-contaminated water is safe.

Article 34 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea states as follows: “The state must strive to prevent disasters and protect citizens from such risks.” Also it says: “The President must defend the Constitution.” Didn’t Yoon take an oath to defend the Constitution? The president, who is responsible for the health and safety of the people more than anyone else, visited Japan and took active steps, saying, “I will make the Korean people understand even if it takes time.” So how can we call him the president of Korea? In April 2021, the People Power Party lawmakers who proposed a resolution condemning the decision to discharge radioactive contaminated water from Fukushima to the National Assembly are now shouting the opposite voice on the same issue, so aren’t they parrots under the president’s spell? On April 13, 2021, TV Chosun reported that tritium could not be filtered out from Fukushima contaminated water and that other radioactive substances were 14,000 times the standard level, but now why are they acting like dumb people? Just one person, the president, has changed, but the entire world has become a Japanese version, and our history of 36 years of humiliation under Japanese colonial rule seems to be being repeated on this land. Republic of Korea, are you alive or dead? The Republic of Korea is a democratic republic, and its sovereignty belongs to the people. We sternly warn that any regime that does not listen to the opposing public opinion of 85% of the people will lose its legitimacy and will receive a terrible judgment from the sovereign people.

Accordingly, we request the following:

First, the ocean dumping of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water, which Japan is trying to enforce, is not only unsafe but also a violation of international law. The Japanese government must immediately withdraw its plan to discharge Fukushima nuclear contaminated water!

First, the Yoon Seok-jeong regime, which is trampling on the opposition of 85% of the people and trumpeting the Japanese government, must immediately stop its hostile actions against its own people and anti-national acts and apologize to the people!

First, the Yoon Seok-yeol government should state its official position on the report that the IAEA’s final report was a subcontract from the Japanese government and conduct a fact-finding investigation!

First, Japan’s irresponsible ocean dumping of nuclear contaminants immediately threatens the livelihood of domestic fisheries workers. The Yoon Seok-yeol government must immediately establish measures to deal with the damage to fisheries workers!

First, Japan has infinite responsibility for World War II and the resulting atomic bomb victims in Korea and Japan, and has an obligation to make efforts to ensure that there are no more nuclear victims. Citizens of Daegu and its sister city Hiroshima, regardless of nationality, together condemn the anti-democratic complicity of the two governments and seek to fulfill the responsibility of the people of our two countries toward nature and future generations. The mayor of Daegu should actively cooperate with the mayor of Hiroshima, our sister city, in preventing citizens of both countries from discharging nuclear contaminated water!

First, the movement to stop the discharge of nuclear contaminated water from Fukushima is gaining momentum nationwide, and 32 national assemblies have adopted resolutions calling for the withdrawal of nuclear contaminated water discharge. Daegu City Council, as well as each district council in Daegu, must immediately adopt a resolution to withdraw contaminated water discharge!

July 5, 2023
Daegu citizens opposing the discharge of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water
(Saturday Madang, Daegu-Gyeongbuk Professional Association Council, Daegu City Councilor Yuk Jeong-mi, Daegu Environmental Movement Federation, Daegu Participatory Solidarity, Daegu Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice)