S. Korea's opposition party holds rally to oppose Japan's nuclear-contaminated water discharge plan

Lee Jae-myung, chairman of South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party (DP), addresses a rally to oppose Japan's nuclear-contaminated water discharge plan in Seoul, South Korea, July 1, 2023. (Photo by James Lee/Xinhua)

SEOUL, July 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party (DP) held a rally in central Seoul on Saturday to oppose Japan's nuclear-contaminated water discharge plan and urge the government to make clear its opposition to Japan's plan.

According to the DP, nearly 100,000 people took part in the rally.

Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the DP, said that if Japan wants to pollute the sea, (the South Korean government) should openly oppose it.

Rep. Park Kwang-on, floor leader of the DP, called on South Koreans to unite against Japan's radioactive wastewater discharge plan and join hands to safeguard people's lives.

"It makes no sense for Japan, a developed country, to risk the lives of people all over the world (by releasing nuclear-contaminated water into the sea)," Cho Han-ki, a citizen who joined the rally, told Xinhua.

Despite ongoing opposition from its neighbors and the Pacific island countries, Japan has been rushing to carry out its plan of dumping radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.

People take part in a rally to oppose Japan's nuclear-contaminated water discharge plan in Seoul, South Korea, July 1, 2023. (Photo by James Lee/Xinhua)

People take part in a rally to oppose Japan's nuclear-contaminated water discharge plan in Seoul, South Korea, July 1, 2023. (Photo by James Lee/Xinhua)

People take part in a rally to oppose Japan's nuclear-contaminated water discharge plan in Seoul, South Korea, July 1, 2023. (Photo by James Lee/Xinhua)

People take part in a rally to oppose Japan's nuclear-contaminated water discharge plan in Seoul, South Korea, July 1, 2023. (Photo by James Lee/Xinhua)