The foreign ministry is reportedly analyzing materials received from Japan regarding its plan to discharge wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea.

A ministry official told reporters on Thursday that since last month, there have been discussions on ways to verify the safety of the planned release of wastewater.

The official said that the Seoul government had previously requested Japan for materials on the discharge, with analysis of the materials under way.

The official added that the government will continue to analyze the materials through consultation with Japan.

As such, some insiders say that the two nations may discuss joint inspection to verify the safety of the planned discharge at the upcoming bilateral summit set for Sunday.

Late last month, Tokyo Electric Power Company and the Japanese government said there was no change in their plans to discharge the  contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean some time this summer.