Korea→Japan lawsuit to disclose data related to contaminated water
“We need to disclose whether Korea has sufficiently analyzed it.”
1st trial: “Most of it must be disclosed” Some plaintiffs win
A current lawyer won the first trial of an administrative lawsuit filed in 2021 demanding the disclosure of data requested by the Korean government to the Japanese government at the time of Japan’s decision to release contaminated water from Fukushima.
On the 6th, the 11th Administrative Division of the Seoul Administrative Court (Presiding Judge Kang Woo-chan) filed a lawsuit filed by lawyer Song Ki-ho of the Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun) against the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) as the plaintiff, requesting cancellation of the refusal to disclose information. The case was partially ruled in favor.
The court will ▲ Inquire about the review procedures and standards for the implementation plan, including the safety verification system at the time of disposal, in April 2021 ▲ Inquire about the review procedures and standards for the implementation plan, including marine monitoring standards, in October 2021 ▲ Review the implementation plan, including the review standards for radiation impact assessment, in February 2022 It was ruled that related inquiries, etc. should be made public.
In addition, most of the questions asked by the Korean government to Japan, including ▲questions related to the review of the implementation plan, such as the targets and methods of pre-use inspection in September 2022, and ▲questions related to the review of the implementation plan, such as the basis for re-selection of measurement and evaluation nuclides in February 2023, are made public information. judged to be the target.
On March 11, 2011, the great earthquake in Japan caused a radioactive leak at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, including evaporation of coolant and melting of the reactor pressure vessel.
The Japanese government announced in 2021, about 10 years after the accident, that it would release 1.33 million tons of stored contaminated water into the ocean for 30 years, and actually began discharging contaminated water into the ocean in August of last year.
Attorney Song requested disclosure of information about what data the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission requested from Japan regarding the safety of contaminated water after deciding to discharge contaminated water into the ocean, and what data was received.
However, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission filed this lawsuit after defining the information as non-disclosure and disposing of it, saying that it recognized that the information was likely to significantly harm the country’s important interests.
At the time of filing the lawsuit, Attorney Song said, “Korea requested scientific data of a sufficient level and content from Japan in conducting an independent scientific evaluation of the discharge of polluted water into the ocean, and to achieve the public interest purpose of confirming whether sufficient analysis was conducted accordingly. “This is information that needs to be disclosed,” he claimed.
He added, “Disclosure is necessary to confirm whether the Korean government has actively and proactively taken state action to ensure the safety of its citizens, rather than simply accepting Japan’s analysis passively.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.