SOUTH KOREA: South Korea is banning all fishery product imports from eight Japanese prefectures, including Fukushima, due to concerns about radiation contamination from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant

Record ID: 467449

  • Title: SOUTH KOREA: South Korea is banning all fishery product imports from eight Japanese prefectures, including Fukushima, due to concerns about radiation contamination from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant
  • Date: 6th September 2013
  • Summary: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (SEPTEMBER 6, 2013) (REUTERS) SOUTH KOREAN PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE SPOKESMAN, SHIN JOONG-DON, SPEAKING AT NEWS CONFERENCE CAMERAMEN (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) SOUTH KOREAN PRIME MINISTER OFFICE SPOKESMAN, SHIN JOONG-DON, SAYING: "The government has decided to take a special measure, which is banning imports of all seafood from eight Japanese prefectures around
  • Embargoed: 21st September 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Korea, Republic of
  • Country: South Korea
  • Topics: Business,International Relations,Health,Industry,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA2NWNUHNG15C0OTIDL5VXMRV1J
  • Story Text: South Korea is banning all fishery product imports from eight Japanese prefectures, including Fukushima, due to concerns about radiation contamination from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.
    Currently, South Korea has banned 50 fishery products from those eight prefectures. It said it would also now tighten its testing on fishery imports from other areas of Japan.
    "The government has decided to take a special measure, which is banning imports of all seafood from eight Japanese prefectures around Fukushima, after having a ministerial level meeting presided over by the Prime Minister Chung Hong-won on September 5 and a government ruling party consultation on 6th," Shin Joong-don, a spokesman for the Prime Minister's office, told a briefing on Friday (September 6).
    "The measures are due to the sharply increased concern among the public about the flow of hundreds of tonnes of contaminated water into the ocean at the site of the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan. Our government made the decision as it is unclear how the Japanese crisis will progress and it will be difficult to precisely predict the future risk with the Japanese government data only," the spokesman added.
    The widened ban takes effect on Monday (September 9) and would remain in place indefinitely, vice Fisheries Minister Son Jae-hak told the briefing, saying information received from Japan was not good enough to properly judge the situation.
    South Korea imported 5,000 tonnes of fishery products from the eight affected prefectures last year, out of a total of 40,000 tonnes of imports from Japan, Son said.
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