IAEA Head Grossi To Visit South Korea From July 7-9 - Reports

TOKYO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th July, 2023) International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi will visit South Korea from July 7-9 to present the agency's position on Japan's plans to release treated and diluted water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (NPP), the Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday, citing a senior South Korean official.

Grossi is expected to arrive in South Korea for a three-day visit on Friday, following his trip to Japan, and meet with the chief of the South Korean Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, the country's nuclear safety watchdog, Park Ku-yeon, the first deputy head of the South Korean Office for Government Policy Coordination, said.

"Besides, Director General Grossi is expected to have other schedules, such as a meeting with the (South Korean) foreign minister (Park Jin)," Park was quoted by South Korea's Yonhap as saying.

Earlier on Tuesday, Grossi met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi. Later in the day, the IAEA chief is expected to present the agency's final assessment of the Japanese government's plan to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant.

In late June, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported, citing sources, that apart from Japan and South Korea, Grossi might also visit New Zealand and the Cook Islands as part of efforts to clarify the IAEA's position on Tokyo's plans on the Fukushima NPP.

Tokyo had initially planned to begin discharging water purified of all radionuclides except tritium into the ocean 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) away from the station this spring. However, the deadline was pushed back to the summer of 2023 due to adverse weather conditions and other delays.

The IAEA has completed two inspections at the Fukushima NPP and released six reports, in which it assessed the method and facilities for the discharge as appropriate.

The Fukushima nuclear disaster occurred on March 11, 2011. The plant was severely damaged by a magnitude 9 earthquake in the Pacific Ocean. The quake triggered a massive tsunami that hit the plant and caused three nuclear reactors to melt down. The accident is considered the worst nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl accident in 1986 and has resulted in widespread contamination of local soil and water.