[Photo] Civic groups rally against Japan’s plan to dump Fukushima wastewater in ocean

Civic groups gathered outside the Japanese embassy in Seoul on Oct. 8 to protest the Japanese government’s plan to dump radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean. The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) examined 890,000 tons of treated water (out of a total of 950,000 tons) that was contaminated by the accident on Mar. 11, 2011, at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. They announced on Sept. 30 that more than 80 percent (of the treated water contained radioactive elements exceeding the threshold for release into the environment. While there are a number of methods for disposing of the wastewater, the civic groups argued that dumping it into the ocean is simply a way for the Japanese government and TEPCO to reduce costs. (Kim Jung-hyo, staff photographer)