South Korean waters untouched by radioactive leak

An analysis conducted by South Korea's Nuclear safety and Security Commission has revealed that the country's waters adjacent to Japan are not affected by radioactive material, the oceans ministry said Thursday.

The analysis stated that there was no detection of traces of radioactive substance in six South Korea sea areas close to Japan, easing public concerns over possible contamination of fisheries products, reports Xinhua.

A minuscule of radioactive substance was found in some waters, but the maximum was 0.00190 becquerels per kilogram (Bq/kg), lower than the five-year average detected prior to the Fukushima power plant incident.

The deadly earthquake and subsequent tsunami in 2011 in Japan melted down nuclear reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, leading to the leakage of around 300 tons of radiation-contaminated water from the melted fuel to flow into the Pacific Ocean every day.

A week earlier, Seoul banned imports of all marine products from eight prefectures surrounding Fukushima, which was seriously polluted and damaged by radiation.

Fears mounted over Japan's fishery goods among South Korean people, causing a drop in consumption of all marine products.

The ministry, citing a separate test, said no radiation was detected in fishes caught in South Korean territorial waters.

--Indo-Asian News-Service

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