Over 72% of South Koreans Oppose Japan's Fukushima Water Release - Poll

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - As many as 72.4% of South Koreans oppose Japan's discharge of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant (NPP), versus just 20.4% who support it, the Japanese news agency reported on Friday, citing results of a survey conducted by the Research View pollster.

The survey requested by South Korean civic groups Asian Citizen's Center for Environment and Health and the Korean Federation for Environmental Movements, showed that in terms of sex, 74.1% of women and 70.7% of men consider the discharge dangerous. Meanwhile, in terms of age, the highest (80.9%) opposition rate is recorded among people in their 40s.

By place of residence, the strongest opposition (81.8%) is registered among residents of the northern province of Gangwon bordering North Korea and those living on Jeju Island, the report said, citing the poll results.

In terms of political beliefs, over 61% of people identifying as conservative oppose the Fukushima water release. The position is shared by 83.8% of progressives and 73.8% of people without distinctive political views, the survey reportedly found.

The poll also showed that 78.3% of the respondents consider banning all seafood imports from Japan to be a good idea, media reported.

The survey was conducted among 1,000 South Koreans aged 18 and over from August 29-30. The margin of error is not specified.

On August 24, Japan began dumping treated wastewater from the Fukushima NPP into the Pacific Ocean, despite strong opposition from other countries in the region. The IAEA has said the treated water would have a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment.