Citing media report that a rockfish caught in May in waters off the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant was found to have contained 18,000 becquerels per kilogram of cesium-137, Yeo In-doo in his 50s from Mokpo said the wastewater release will have a fatal effect on all the ecosystems as well as fishermen, merchants selling fish and people eating fish.

Yeo said Japan should take other alternatives, such as keeping it on land, noting that Japan chose the cheapest way of dumping it into the ocean with the connivance of the United States.

Five disposal plans were proposed in 2018 by the subcommittee on handling the Advanced Liquid Processing System treated water, an advisory body under Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

The proposed plans included geosphere injection, underground burial, hydrogen release, vapor release and release into the ocean.