The presidential office said it would be necessary for South Korean experts set to visit the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan ahead of the release of radioactive water into the sea to conduct an actual inspection and investigation of the site.

Speaking to Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday, a key presidential official said while the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) verifies the contaminated water, there is a need to ensure that the purification facilities are in order and that Tokyo is capable of such an operation.

This comes after Japanese economy minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said that the South Korean inspection team, whose visit was agreed to by the leaders of the two countries this past weekend, is not expected to inspect and confirm the safety of the water.

In an apparent effort to ease concerns about a contradiction between the two sides, another high-ranking presidential official in Seoul said Tokyo was likely making reference to the IAEA's ongoing evaluation and that Seoul's study will not overlap with the IAEA's.