Fukushima Waste Water Issue Dead Politically in South Korea

Considering how the activists and politicians sensationalized the Fukushima waste water release, it is not surprising it became a dead issue when nothing bad happened after its release:

One reporter sits in the mostly empty briefing room as a government official speaks on issues regarding waste water release from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant at the government complex in Seoul, Nov. 10. Newsis

The discharge of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant would “doom all fishing industries” in Korea, Lee Jae-myung, the opposition leader, said, vowing an “all-out effort” to stop it.

After the Japanese government proceeded with the plan on Aug. 24, the chief of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) went on a hunger strike a week later, urging President Yoon Suk Yeol to do more to protect the safety of the public. “It’s not too late yet,” he added.

But now, Lee and other DPK politicians barely raise the topic. The attention of the media and the public appears to have waned. Once crowded with journalists, the briefing room for issues relating to Fukushima’s wastewater release is almost empty these days.

“Usually, three to four reporters come for the regular briefing recently,” an official told The Korea Times on Monday.

Experts said that Fukushima wastewater, once seen as a major issue ahead of the general elections, slated for early next year, appears to be “dead.”

“To stay in the attention of the public, there should be new developments on the issue. But so far, there have been no safety problems found,” said Cho Jin-man, a professor of politics and international relations at Duksung Women’s University.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but the science on this issue was always very clear that the waste water could be released with very minimal impacts to the environment. The opposition party and the protesters actually do not care about the saving the oceans, if they did they would be protesting the stopping of dumping of waste water from Korea’s nuclear plants as well. Better yet they need to protest hospitals that give out CT scans which is more dangerous than the waste water being released.  This was all about politics and sliming the Yoon administration over an issue they could really do nothing to stop anyway.