South Korea to send 21-member team to Japan for Fukushima inspection

SEOUL A 21-member team of South Korean experts will make a six-day visit to Japan starting on Sunday for an on-site inspection ahead of the planned release of radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean, the government said.

The delegation, headed by the chief of the country's nuclear safety commission, will review the safety of the entire process of discharge and check Tokyo's capability in analyzing radioactive materials, according to the Office for Government Policy Coordination (OPC).

"We plan to come up with more necessary measures for the safety and health of our people through the inspection that include examining the overall operation situation of the plant's processing and discharging system, as well as its ability to analyze radioactive materials," Park Ku-yeon, the first deputy chief of OPC, told a press conference.

The inspection visit was agreed upon in principle when President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held a summit in Seoul earlier this month. South Koreans have been concerned about possible health and environmental hazards from the planned release of contaminated water.

Diplomats from the two countries have since worked out details of the visit.

Leading the team will be Nuclear Safety and Security Commission Chairperson Yoo Guk-hee, accompanied by 19 other experts in nuclear reactor and radiation sectors, as well as one expert in radiation in the marine environment, according to the OPC.

During the visit, the inspection team will first meet with officials from the plant's operator, the Tokyo Electric Power Co, on Monday to discuss the overall situation in detail.