Anchor: South Korea’s top diplomat addressed a wide variety of pending issues at the National Assembly Tuesday, ranging from Japan’s planned release of radioactive water to the shortage of COVID-19 vaccines. South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong attended an emergency question-and-answer session at the foreign affairs committee and told lawmakers that the government will work with international organizations in response to Japan’s water disposal plan.
Kim Bum-soo reports. 

Report: South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong said Japan must prove the safety of its plan before discharging a massive amount of radioactive water into the ocean.

During an emergency question-and-answer session of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee Tuesday, Chung expressed South Korea's concerns over its island neighbor's decision.

[Sound bite: Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong (Korean-English translation)]
"We do not believe that the so-called ALPS treatment facility will be able to completely remove radioactive substances (from the water) as Japan claims. Our experts are thoroughly reviewing data that Japan has provided."

Japan has injected cooling water into the crippled reactors at Fukushima Daiichi power plant since the 2011 nuclear meltdown that followed a massive earthquake and tsunami. 

Sparking outrage from neighboring countries, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said last week that a total of one-point-25 million tons of that water will be sufficiently treated and diluted before being discharged into the Pacific Ocean.

With about two years remaining until the actual disposal of the water, Chung said Seoul will work closely with international agencies to deal with Japan.

[Sound bite: Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong (Korean-English translation)]
"On the multilateral front, we plan to submit our concerns over the coastal discharge to the UN and World Health Organization and also seek to push for our experts and research agencies' participation in the verification process by the IAEA. In doing so, we may pursue legal options, including filing for international dispute resolution, if  necessary."

The Foreign Ministry also plans to highlight Seoul's concerns during diplomatic talks with countries that border the Pacific Ocean.

Amid rising concerns over the shortage of COVID-19 shots, Chung also revealed during the session that Seoul is in talks with Washington to sign a vaccine swap deal, under which the two sides can loan doses to each other.

He said that the foreign ministry is seeking to produce a positive outcome before the South Korea-U.S. summit slated for next month. 
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.