The Democratic Party expressed strong opposition towards the import of seafood from Fukushima, Japan, with party members protesting through a shaving ceremony at a condemnation rally. On March 30th, the President’s Office declared that there will never be a case of Fukushima seafood coming into Korea, emphasizing the top priority of the health and safety of the people. This statement follows a series of reports by Japanese media on Japan’s request for President Seok-Yeol Yoon to lift restrictions on imports from Fukushima after the previous summit meeting between Korea and Japan. The ruling party defended the President’s stance and criticized the reports as false. The Democratic Party raised the level of the offensive by holding a condemnation rally and even a shaving ceremony, with one member of the National Assembly’s agricultural and marine affairs committee and chairman of the special committee on marine and fisheries, Yoon Jae-gap, shaving his head. Former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon urged the Yoon Seok-yeol government to clarify what happened during the Korea-Japan summit and two dinners which were suspicious from the beginning.
The Democratic Party, who took a strong tone in the successive Japanese reports, even protested’shaving’ at the condemnation rally
Yoon Jae-gap, chairman of the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Special Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea, holds a hair-shaving ceremony at the National Assembly on the morning of the 30th to oppose the import of marine products from Fukushima and condemn the humiliating diplomacy with Japan. yunhap news
On the 30th, the President’s Office said, “There will never be a case of Fukushima seafood coming into Korea,” regarding concerns over imports of seafood from Fukushima, Japan.
The President’s office said in a press announcement that day, “There is no change in the government’s position that the health and safety of the people is the top priority in relation to the import of Japanese seafood products.” It is interpreted that the position expressed on this day is due to the deterioration of domestic public opinion following a series of Japanese media reports that Japan asked President Seok-Yeol Yoon to lift restrictions on imports from Fukushima after the previous summit meeting between Korea and Japan.
Japan’s Kyodo News quoted an official the day before, and on the 17th, the second day of President Yoon’s visit to Japan, at a meeting with former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and other members of the Japan-Korea Federation, regarding the issue of ocean discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, “Even if it takes time, Korea will I will seek the understanding of the people.”
The President’s Office has continued to state that ‘national safety comes first’, but when the controversy resurfaced with the Kyodo News report, it is interpreted that it issued a message ‘import is not allowed’ in a more stern tone such as ‘never’.
The ruling party also came to the defense. People’s Power member Jeong Jin-seok, who was present at the meeting of President Yoon with former Prime Minister Suga and others as the chairman of the Korea-Japan Parliamentary Federation, expressed strong regret about the Kyodo News report that day, saying, “It is not true at all.” Rep. Chung said on Facebook, “President Yoon never said anything like that, but rather, ‘As the Fukushima contaminated water problem inevitably makes us feel anxious, even if it takes time, we will find out the scientific and objective truth under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It is important to accurately identify and inform,” he said.
In addition, the Democratic Party raised the level of the offensive by holding a condemnation rally and even a shaving ceremony. Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party, said at a rally against the import of marine products from Fukushima and condemnation of humiliating diplomacy against Japan that day, “The Democratic Party will find out the truth to the end and hold responsible for the humiliating talks that regressed history and severely damaged the pride of the nation and people.” It was full. At the condemnation rally that day, Rep. Yoon Jae-gap, a member of the National Assembly’s agricultural and marine affairs committee and chairman of the special committee on marine and fisheries, shaved his head.
Former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon, a representative ‘Jilpa’ within the Democratic Party, said on Facebook, “What happened at the Korea-Japan summit and two dinners that were suspicious from the beginning?” “What happened in Tokyo? The Yoon Seok-yeol government urged to clarify.”
Reporters Ahn Seok and Moon Kyung-geun
The controversy surrounding the import of seafood from Fukushima, Japan, has sparked a strong reaction from the Democratic Party of Korea, which has held a condemnation rally and even a shaving ceremony to protest against the imports. The President’s Office has confirmed that there will be no imports, and it is clear that national safety is always the top priority. The issue continues to be a contentious one, and it remains to be seen what further action the government will take to address the concerns of its citizens. The situation highlights the need for cooperation and transparency between countries to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all.