The concentration of tritium in seawater following the release of contaminated water from Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant was well below the standard limit, an official said Monday.
A total of 246 billion becquerels of tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen that can still be detected after treatment through a custom purification system known as ALPS, have been released so far, according to Park Ku-yeon, the first deputy chief of the Office for Government Policy Coordination.
Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the plant, has been monitoring the concentration of tritium in the nearby seawater to assess its potential impact on the ocean since the release began Thursday.
"The concentration within 3 kilometers of the nuclear plant was far below the standard limit," Park said during a daily briefing.
Park also mentioned that three South Korean officials have departed for Japan to visit an International Atomic Energy Agency field office located in Fukushima.
The visit is part of follow-up measures after President Yoon Suk Yeol asked Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to include South Korean experts in monitoring the Fukushima water release.
Source: Yonhap News Agency