South Korea Enforces Separate Food Program For Olympic Athletes, Cites Fukushima Radiation Fears

Here’s what the Japanese had to say about it.

The South Korean government has decided to enforce a separate food program for athletes attending the Tokyo Olympics.

2020 Tokyo Olympics | Olympics

The government fears that their athletes will be served contaminated food sourced from Fukushima, which was struck by a nuclear disaster in 2011 that has since been called the most severe nuclear accident after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

Fukushima explosion | Magzter

According to reports, fourteen cooks were already dispatched to Japan to prepare 420 meals for South Korean athletes and staff alike.

South Korean team | EPA 

In addition to whipping up their own meals, the country has also decided to use radiation detectors to ensure that ingredients sourced from Japan are safe to consume.

Olympic village | REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Japanese netizens are heavily criticizing South Korea’s actions, calling them “disappointing” and “unpleasant.”

South Korean team | EPA

Masahisa Sato, a member of the Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, told a Japanese newspaper that South Korea’s food program “tramples the hearts of Fukushima residents.”

Others expressed worries that the program will damage the brand reputation of Fukushima’s agriculture.

The Goto family grows rice in Motomiya City, Fukushima | The Government of Japan
Source: Insider and The U.S. Sun