South Korea is expected to convey its view on the wastewater being discharged into the ocean from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant in meetings of contracting parties to the London Convention and London Protocol on Thursday.

The meetings are part of the 45th Consultative Meeting of Contracting Parties to the London Convention and the 18th Meeting of Contracting Parties to the London Protocol which kicked off at the International Maritime Organization(IMO) on Monday for a five-day run.

In the discussions, signatories such as related countries and Greenpeace are also likely to reveal their stances during a session on matters related to the management of radioactive waste.

The meetings are the first to be held since Japan began discharging contaminated water from the Fukushima plant.

The London Convention is an international treaty established to prevent marine pollution by the dumping of waste, while the London Protocol was adopted in 1996 to strengthen the obligations of the London Convention.

The meetings of contracting parties to the two treaties are held jointly every year at the IMO headquarters to vote on revisions to the London Protocol.

Seoul has stressed the need for the meetings to touch on the issue of the Fukushima wastewater since 2019, while Japan has adhered to the stance that the matter is not relevant at such meetings.