IAEA chief set to arrive in S. Korea to discuss agency report on Fukushima water discharge

The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is scheduled to arrive in South Korea on Friday to explain the analysis of the U.N. watchdog’s safety review of Japan’s planned release of treated radioactive water from its crippled Fukushima plant.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi’s three-day visit will come on the heels of the agency’s conclusion that Japan’s plan to release treated radioactive water from the plant into the sea is consistent with international safety standards.

Grossi, who is currently on a visit to Japan, delivered the IAEA’s report on Tokyo’s water release plan to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday. The report was seen as a blessing for the water discharge expected to begin sometime this summer.

The director general is expected to hold meetings with Yoo Guk-hee, head of South Korea’s Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, and Foreign Minister Park Jin.

Ahead of Grossi’s arrival, the government plans to announce the results of its own independent analysis of Japan’s plan to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima plant at a daily briefing.

Source: Yonhap News Agency