An expert from the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety says the radiation crisis at the Fukushima power plant is not good, but said that it is not as serious as the Chernobyl disaster.

Dr. Jung Kyu-hwan, a radiation expert and senior researcher at the institute, was sent to Japan to safeguard South Korean nationals there.

He made the remark after measuring the radiation in Koriyama, which is 50 kilometers from the power plant in Fukushima Prefecture.

He said if the radiation level constitutes the terms required to protect South Koreans, he could propose that the Seoul government evacuate the people, but he said it's not yet necessary.

He measured 2 to 3 microsieverts of radiation in Koriyama, noting that exposure to over 30 microsieverts per hour for more than a year would still cause no clinical problems.

He also explained the radiation measured in Sendai, 100 kilometers from the power plant, was around 0.11 to 0.18 microsievert, which is not much different from the levels measured in capital Tokyo.