A day after Japan’s announcement of a plan to release treated radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean this week, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) vowed, Wednesday, to put up an “all-out fight” against those responsible for the move.
DPK leader Lee Jae-myung called the decision an act of “terrorism,” with some lawmakers even demanding the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol for failing to prevent Japan’s decision.
Over the past year, Yoon’s attempts to mend relations with Japan by burying historical feuds have pleased the U.S. and led to the trilateral security pact in the Indo-Pacific region.
However, the plan to discharge over 1.3 million tons of wastewater from the Fukushima plant into the Pacific Ocean is threatening to strain Seoul-Tokyo ties ― the weakest link of that three-way partnership ― and its sustainability, according to experts.
Political analysts suggest that the DPK’s firm stance on the issue could be politically motivated, because fomenting anti-Japanese sentiment could benefit the main opposition as general elections approach.
“The DPK has brought up the issue because they know it would help them politically,” Hong Hyeong-sik, a political analyst, told The Korea Times. “With the general elections to be held early next year and many historical issues remaining unresolved between the two countries, the party will likely continue to raise the topic at every chance it could use to appeal to anti-Japanese sentiment.”
Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, speaks during a meeting at the National Assembly in Seoul, Wednesday. Newsis
This prospect presents a problem for Yoon’s approval rating, which hovers below 40 percent, and for progress in a U.S.-led trilateral effort to counter North Korea, China and Russia.
If his popularity declines to dangerously low levels, there would be little diplomatic room for the president and the ruling People Power Party to improve the trilateral partnership as a truly dependable one as the leaders of the three countries wish it to be, scholars said.
“Next month will mark the 100th anniversary of the Kanto Massacre (the mass murder of as many as 6,000 ethnic Koreans following an earthquake in Japan in 1923). With so many other issues that cannot be resolved in a short period, there are questions surrounding the sustainability of the South Korea-U.S.-Japan security ties,” a historian, who refused to be named, said.
Knowing that the Seoul-Tokyo relationship is “the weakest link,” China may well exploit it, too, in an apparent attempt to undermine the U.S.-led trilateral partnership, he said.
Recent surveys demonstrate that a majority of South Koreans oppose the Fukushima water release, with some showing rates as high as 85 percent.
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is seen from Namie, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, Aug. 22. AP-Yonhap
The Korean public’s anxiety about food safety and the environmental impact of the Fukushima wastewater release could be amplified by the rising voices of civic groups, which have been criticizing the Yoon administration for endorsing the Japanese decision. Already, fishermen and other members of the seafood industry here have complained that the number of customers decreased in recent months. It remains unclear whether the public blame would fall mostly on Yoon or the DPK, which has fueled fear and suspicion over the water.
Choi Eun-mi, an expert on Japan at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, a think tank, said Japan holds the key to the solution. However, given the loud voice of hardliners within Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Tokyo’s drastic change in position could be difficult.
“In the eyes of many South Koreans, Yoon has made all the concessions in return for little, if not nothing,” Choi said. “But for Japan, Dokdo is its territorial issue, while commemorating the war dead at Yasukuni Shrine is about demonstrating its political identity.”
There is skepticism over the trilateral security partnership among Japanese politicians, said Shin Kak-soo, former South Korean ambassador to Japan.
“Just like we are unsure about the fate of that partnership in case of Donald Trump’s return to the White House, there is skepticism in Japan that the pact may be overturned by Yoon’s successor. Questions will remain unless he successfully manages to gain enough support,” he said.
