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Democratic Party holds a rally to oppose seafood imports from Fukushima, near the National Assembly in Seoul on March 30. (Yonhap) |
South Korea will conduct a special inspection into the marking of country of origin for imported seafood products on concerns over Japan's planned release of contaminated water from its crippled nuclear power plant, the oceans ministry said Wednesday.
The two-month intensive inspection in cooperation with the Coast Guard will begin next month to check if importers, distributors and retailers properly mark the origin of major seafood items coming from overseas, such as scallops, sea bream and sea squirts, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.
The move comes as concerns have grown over the safety of imported seafood as Tokyo plans to release radioactive water from the Fukushima plant into the sea.
South Korea banned all seafood imports from eight Japanese prefectures near Fukushima in 2013 on concerns over their radiation levels in the wake of the meltdown incident in 2011.
The Seoul government has said it will never lift the import curbs as the people's safety and health can never be compromised.
Those who fail to mark country of origin can face fines up to 10 million won ($7,600) and those who forge the mark can face up to seven years in prison or fines up to 100 million won. (Yonhap)
