South Korea summons Japan’s ambassador

South Korea summoned the Japanese ambassador, Koichi Aiboshi, today, Tuesday, over Tokyo's decision to release contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean.

The government expresses its deep regret over Japan's decision," said Koo Yoon-cheol, head of South Korea’s office for Policy Coordination, adding that "the government will take all necessary measures in line with the principle of preserving the safety of the Korean people from the contaminated water of the Fukushima nuclear plant."

Earlier, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced that his government has approved a plan to start releasing treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean.

It is likely that releasing more than one million tons of water will begin within two years, but the decision quickly aroused the ire of local fishermen in the region, in addition to Beijing and Seoul.

However, the Japanese government confirmed that the releasing is safe, because the water was treated after removing all the radioactive elements from it.

Suga said ocean release was the most realistic option and that disposing the water is unavoidable for the decommissioning of the Fukushima plant, which is expected to take decades. He also pledged the government would work to ensure the safety of the water and to prevent damaging rumors.