Anchor: In a bid to mitigate public concern, the South Korean government began daily briefings on Japan's planned release of wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant on Thursday. It pledged transparency by sharing any information of significance.
Choi You Sun reports.

Report: The government intends to quell public anxiety over Japan's release of radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean by monitoring the ongoing test run and explaining anything of significance to the public.

At the inaugural daily briefing on the water release on Thursday, Park Gu-yeon, the first vice minister of government policy coordination, said the government is well aware of concerns raised by the public and the media.

Park said the government will strive to prevent concerns from blowing out of proportion due to a lack of information or false data.

The vice minister said the plant operator, the Tokyo Electric Power Company, has been using a mix of freshwater and seawater since starting the two-week trial run on Monday to assess the performance of the undersea tunnel, water tanks, pipes and pumps.

He said that the test is focusing on the water transfer pumps and emergency brakes for the release, with Tokyo then carrying out its own pre-release checks and safety verification.

Park said the report by the South Korean team of experts that conducted an on-site inspection last month will be released once they complete an ongoing review of the Advanced Liquid Processing System(ALPS) and further confirm data provided by Tokyo.

Asked about reports that the amount of radioactive substances remained over 20-thousand times above "safe" levels even after the ALPS treatment, he said Tokyo has promised to repeatedly treat the water through the system to meet the standard before being released.

Stressing that the safety of South Korean waters and seafood products continues to be managed through radiation monitoring and tests, Park said the government will require vessels to change ballast water outside the nation's maritime zone of jurisdiction.

The vice minister, however, said that it is premature to discuss any compensation for fishermen for damages that haven't occurred. 
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.