S. Korean opposition party chief calls Japan's nuke wastewater dumping "act of terror"

People take part in a rally held by South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party to oppose Japan's decision to start releasing nuclear-contaminated wastewater in Seoul, South Korea, Aug. 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

SEOUL, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Lee Jae-myung, chief of South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party, on Wednesday called Japan's decision to start dumping nuclear-contaminated wastewater on Thursday from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant an "act of terror."

"Japan, which threatened the right to life of neighboring countries in the past with the imperialist war of aggression, is about to bring another irreversible disaster to South Korea and countries around the Pacific Ocean by discharging nuclear-contaminated wastewater," Lee said during a party meeting.

Lee strongly condemned Japan's act of terror with radioactive wastewater, stressing that Japan's wastewater release would go down in history as the "Second Pacific War."

The Japanese government announced that it will start discharging the wastewater on Thursday despite wide criticism from both home and abroad.

Hit by a massive earthquake and an ensuing tsunami in March 2011, the Fukushima power plant suffered meltdowns and generated a massive amount of water tainted with radioactive substances from cooling down the nuclear fuel.

Lee noted that frustrated fishermen and merchants vented their anger by saying that if Japan releases the radioactive wastewater, the South Korean fishery industry will collapse, vowing to go on an all-out fight against the discharge.

According to a survey of 1,000 adults here in May, 85.4 percent opposed Japan's radioactive wastewater discharge, while 72 percent said they would reduce the consumption of marine products if the wastewater is dumped into the ocean.

A group of civic activists gathered near the Japanese embassy in Seoul on a rainy day to protest against the release decision, holding placards that read "Kishida to be punished by heaven, stop pushing for the discharge."

The group said in a statement that the Japanese government, led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, decided to push through the "nuclear terror" on humankind by dumping the nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the ocean.

It noted that Japan failed to take responsibility for the nuclear waste generated by the Fukushima accident, denouncing Japan for its "selfish and irresponsible" decision.

Another civic group Green Korea United said in a separate statement that the wastewater dumping will be a "criminal act" against people, the ocean and the ecosystem around the world, urging Tokyo to retract the dumping decision, which is an anachronistic crime.

People take part in a rally held by South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party to oppose Japan's decision to start releasing nuclear-contaminated wastewater in Seoul, South Korea, Aug. 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

People take part in a rally held by South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party to oppose Japan's decision to start releasing nuclear-contaminated wastewater in Seoul, South Korea, Aug. 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

People take part in a rally held by South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party to oppose Japan's decision to start releasing nuclear-contaminated wastewater in Seoul, South Korea, Aug. 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

People take part in a rally held by South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party to oppose Japan's decision to start releasing nuclear-contaminated wastewater in Seoul, South Korea, Aug. 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

People take part in a rally held by South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party to oppose Japan's decision to start releasing nuclear-contaminated wastewater in Seoul, South Korea, Aug. 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)