Korea won’t lift ban on seafood imports from Fukushima

The presidential office on Thursday ruled out the resumption of seafood imports from Japan’s Fukushima region over radiation contamination concerns, saying health and safety are the foremost priority.

“Fukushima seafood will never come into the country,” the office said in a notice to media. “With regard to the import of Japanese seafood products, the government’s stance remains unchanged that the health and safety of the people are the top priority.”

Korea has banned imports of all seafood and some agricultural products from the region since 2013 due to concerns over their possible radioactive contamination following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant meltdown after an earthquake and a tsunami.

But some have raised speculation that the Yoon Suk Yeol administration could resume imports from Fukushima, following Japanese news reports that it was one of the unannounced topics during Yoon’s summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida earlier this month.