Yoon asks Kishida to include S. Korean experts in monitoring Fukushima discharge

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol asked Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday to include South Korean experts in monitoring the planned release of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, his office said.

Yoon made the request during their meeting on the sidelines of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit, saying the health and safety of the people should be the top considerations in releasing the water into the sea, his office said in a press release.

“President Yoon asked that the monitoring information related to whether the entire process of the discharge is implemented as planned be shared with our side in real time, and that our experts be allowed to participate in the monitoring process for the discharge,” it said.

Yoon also asked that the discharge be stopped immediately if the concentration of radioactive material in the water exceeds standard levels and that Japan promptly inform the South.

Kishida replied that he will do everything possible to ensure the safety of the water release and not discharge any water that could harm the health of the Japanese and South Korean people or the environment, the press release said.

He also promised to swiftly and transparently announce the results of Japan’s monitoring of the water discharge carried out under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s review and in the event radiation concentration levels exceed the limit, to immediately halt the release and take other appropriate measures.

The Yoon-Kishida meeting came days after the IAEA approved the discharge expected to begin next month, saying it would meet international safety standards.

The report triggered angry protests in South Korea and other neighboring countries fearful of the water’s potential harmful effects on people and the environment.

Yoon said he respects the IAEA’s conclusion.

The two leaders also discussed North Korea’s long-range ballistic missile launch carried out earlier in the day, and strongly condemned it as a grave violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions and a serious provocation raising tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in the region.

They shared the view that North Korea’s nuclear and missile provocations seriously undermine regional and world peace, and agreed to continue close communication and cooperation between themselves and trilaterally with U.S. President Joe Biden.

In that regard, Yoon and Kishida welcomed Biden’s offer to hold a three-way summit that they said will be a “groundbreaking milestone” in trilateral security cooperation.

The two leaders noted that the recent improvement in bilateral relations has led to tangible results and to continue to work to develop the relationship in a future-oriented manner.

As part of such efforts, Yoon and Kishida agreed to resume a high-level bilateral economic consultation body within the year and to look for areas of cooperation in various fields, including diplomacy, security, economy, culture and personnel exchanges.