许爱娥预约挂号:S Korea wary of Japan's release of radioactiv...

来源：百度文库 编辑：九乡新闻网 时间：2024/04/28 09:40:52

S Korea wary of Japan's release of radioactive water

16:51, April 05, 2011      

Email | Print | Subscribe | Comments | Forum 

Increases the bookmark twitter facebook digg Google Windowslive Delicious buzz friendfeed Linkedin diigo reddit stumbleupon

Fear over radiation contamination is escalating in South Korea, with neighboring Japan releasing water tainted with radiation from its earthquake-damaged nuclear plant.

Japan's Tokyo Electric Power Company announced a day ago it started releasing some 11,500 tons of water contaminated with low-level radiation from its crippled nuclear plant in the northeastern province of Fukushima to make space for storage of highly contaminated radioactive water instead.

The water, containing the level of radioactivity believed to be at least 100 times higher than the legal limit, will be dumped into the Pacific Ocean for five days, officials at the power company have said.

Japan's chief government spokesman, Yukio Edano, said Tuesday it was a regrettable yet inevitable decision considering a lack of alternatives.

The move by the neighboring country has sent South Korean officials scrambling to size up the scope of potential environmental damage to the country, with the public already wary of minute levels of radioactive materials recently found in the atmosphere.

Local reports said the South Korean embassy in Tokyo expressed concern over Japan's release of contaminated water, but the foreign ministry in Seoul said it only requested to be briefed on the issue, practically dismissing the reports.

"Expressing concern is not the priority here," spokesman Cho Byung-je said during a briefing on Tuesday. "We believe experts should quickly determine whether there really is a reason to be concerned."

Local media also reported the government has begun looking into international laws and treaties possibly applicable to the issue in case the radioactive water cause any environmental damage here.

The government believes Japan's move might violate the London Convention, which regulates dumping of wastes at sea, and can demand Japan stop the release if the level of radioactivity exceeds the limit, South Korea's MBC television reported.

Still, the foreign ministry spokesman stopped short of confirming the reports. "Whether Japan's move violates international laws or not would be determined only after we comprehensively assess the situation," Cho said.

First vice foreign minister Park Seok-hwan, meanwhile, told parliament that he will ask Japan for a joint field inspection if necessary, reportedly adding Japan did not give a prior notice to South Korea before dumping radioactive water at sea.

Source:Xinhua Related Reading

  • Indonesia, Turkey set target of 5 bln USD bilateral trade by 2014

  • Moderate quake strikes off North Sulawesi, Indonesia

  • Philippine gov't considers hostage-taking in Agusan del Sur as isolated incident

  • S. Korea to assess damage of Japan's release of radioactive water

  • Japan to venture not to dump more radioactive water into Pacific

  • British PM holds strategic talks with Pakistani counterpart

Special Coverage
  • Survey for 2011 NPC and CPPCC Sessions
  • Focus On China
Major headlines

  • Radioactive cesium detected in more Chinese regions amid Japan nuclear crisis

  • One toll collector dead, three others injured, after two motorists attack in SW China

  • Weak life signs detected, 60 hours after seven trapped in flooded coal mine in N. China

  • Cold front to hit central, eastern China this week

  • China's top political advisor meets Myanmar's new president

  • China's top political advisor meets Myanmar Union Parliament speaker

  • China's top political advisor says China's good-neighborly ties with Myanmar conforms to mutual interests

  • High-technology cooperation to highlight Jia Qinglin's Australia visit: Chinese Ambassador

  • Chinese president congratulates Kazakhstan's Nazarbayev on reelection

  • Chinese Premier calls for all-around development in poverty-stricken areas

Editor's Pick
Hot Forum Dicussion

  • Tomb Sweeping Day

  • China military's asymmetrical strategy

  • S. China Sea disputes: Flawed negotiations

  • Changed Obama gears up for second term bid

  • Qaddafi's sons split over father's future

  • Will & Kate: A royal wedding... in Lego

  • By his own reckoning, one man made Libya a Frence cause

S Korea wary of Japan's release of radioactiv... S. Korea to assess damage of Japan's release ... U.S. vows to win release of hostages S.Korea opens trial of 5 arrested Somali pira... Japan's resiliency: Make the best of a bad bargain Japan's resiliency: Make the best of a bad bargain[][ Wen's trip deepens China-Japan-S. Korea coope... China, Japan, S Korea urge further efforts fo... FDA's membership of PIC/S Text of Obama's State of the Union Address Text of Obama's State of the Union Address Contract Law of the People's Republic of Chin... One million copies of second volume of CPC's ... To Dream of Japan To Dream of Japan A father's gift of life The PLA’s "Orient Express": Militarization of... Reflect management's fear of heart Magnitude of Thursday's Miyagi aftershock rev... Mother of Schwarzenegger's love child reveale... Where's the future of two Koreas? The Histology of Chicken's Digestive System Out of the office's work The limits of China's J