S. Korean party leader urges Japan to stop dumping radioactive wastewater

SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- Lee Jae-myung, leader of the South Korean main opposition Democratic Party, on Monday urged Japan to stop dumping radioactive wastewater into the ocean, which will endanger the safety of people around the world.

Lee made the remark during a meeting with global experts and activists, including those from Japan and the United States, who participated both online and offline at the parliamentary building in Seoul.

"The ocean of humanity and the safety of people around the world is put in danger. Despite fierce opposition from neighboring countries and even Japanese people, the Japanese government has been doing an unprecedented job in human history of dumping nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the ocean," Lee said.

Lee stressed that the marine dumping was in clear violation of the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter in 1972.

"Japan should immediately stop dumping the nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the ocean. Our (South Korean) government should file a complaint with the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea against Japan," Lee noted.

Lee condemned the U.S. duplicity as Washington supported the marine dumping outwardly while decreasing import of Japanese agricultural and fishery products, calling for the international community to gather strength and protect the ocean together.

Japan started releasing the first batch of radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean on Aug. 24.

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