S. Korea's opposition party stages overnight sit-in against Japan's nuke wastewater discharge plan

SEOUL, July 7 (Xinhua) -- All lawmakers of South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party (DP) launched an overnight sit-in at the National Assembly in Seoul on Thursday night to urge the government to oppose Japan's planned discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the Pacific.

According to the JoongAng Ilbo daily, the DP lawmakers, including Chairman of the DP Lee Jae-myung, held signs that read "Oppose dumping of contaminated water into the sea!"

All of 167 lawmakers would also hold a "relay filibuster," in which they would take turns to deliver long speeches demanding the withdrawal of Japan's plan and denouncing Seoul's response to it, the newspaper added.

Rep. Park Kwang-on, floor leader of the DP, criticized the final report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Japan's planned discharge of nuclear wastewater as a verification only based on data presented by and tailored to Japan.

He also urged the government to accurately convey the will of the South Korean people to Japan on an issue, which over 80 percent of the public opposes.

The Japanese government has been pushing for dumping the contaminated water this summer, which has aroused strong opposition and doubts from domestic fishing groups, neighboring countries and South Pacific island countries, as well as the international community.