The foreign ministry has declared that there are no plans to resume the import of fishery products from Japan’s Fukushima region while noting that the discharge of contaminated water from the crippled nuclear power plant there into the ocean is a separate issue.

A ministry official made the remarks to reporters on Tuesday regarding concerns that the government may have no grounds to refuse a request from Japan that the import of seafood from Fukushima resume based on the soon-to-be-released safety report by the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA).

The official said that the government puts the people’s health and safety first, stressing that it has no plan to resume seafood imports from Fukushima and the surrounding prefectures while adding that it will only be considered when South Koreans can safely consume the products.

Regarding Japanese reports that IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida next week to deliver the agency’s assessment of the safety of the release, Seoul’s foreign ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk said on Tuesday that the ministry is also awaiting the release of the IAEA document.