Japan's imminent release of treated radioactive water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea has deepened concerns among South Koreans over the safety of seafood, and restaurant owners and fishermen are already feeling the pinch of the controversial discharge.
Many here, in particular, are worried about Japan's growing pressure on South Korea to lift the ban on seafood imports from Fukushima regions, though the Seoul government has flatly dismissed chances of its lifting while intensifying monitoring and testing to dispel public jitters.
On Tuesday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced the release of around 1.34 million metric tons of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea starting Thursday, some 12 years after the facility was crippled by a massive earthquake and tsunami.
"Sales have sunk more than 50 percent after Japan announced the Fukushima plan," Wang Sang-cheol, a sushi restaurant owner at Seoul's Noryangjin market, said. "We are literally in a dire situation as we are still struggling to make up for losses from COVID-19."
In the aftermath of the radioactive water leakage from a storage tank at the Fukushima plant in 2013, sales of seafood in South Korean traditional markets tumbled around 40 percent, and major discount chains suffered a 20 percent decrease in seafood sales, according to the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives.
South Korean imports of Japanese seafood have already been on the decrease for four months in a row until July, according to data from Statistics Korea.
A survey by Consumers Korea, a local civic group, showed that 91.2 percent of 525 respondents vowed to have less seafood and 63.2 percent said they had already reduced consumption out of safety concerns.
"We hoped for growth in demand for and prices of abalone as the Chuseok holiday season draws near, but things are rather getting worse due to the Fukushima issue," an abalone aquafarm owner in the southwestern county of Wando said.
Market watchers say consumers' loss of appetite for marine products would make a significant dent not only in the fishing industry but in the retail, tourism and broader related sectors.
"Yesterday, I saw the news about Japan's release plan and bought quite a lot of seaweed and laver, as the items are my kids' favorites. After the actual release, I will not give fish and other seafood to my kids at least for the time being," Jeong Sun-hye, a mother of two in Seoul, said.
"We've often visited coastal towns along the East Sea to enjoy the sea and seafood, but I think we'd better not and we don't need to go there. I don't know what to do and what will be good for my family's health," she added.
Earlier, South Koreans consumers and retailers had stockpiled salt out of safety concerns and in fear of a supply shortage after the discharge.
Source: Yonhap News Agency