South Korea said Friday it will strengthen radiation checks on imports of three recycling waste products from Japan, amid an escalating economic and political row between the two countries.
The move, announced by the Environment Ministry in Seoul, is likely to be seen as part of the countermeasures taken against Tokyo's recent tightening of controls on exports to South Korea, and it follows a similar measure last week targeting coal ash imports from Japan.
The ministry said that for waste plastics, tires and batteries imported from Japan and Russia, on-site inspections of importers' radiation inspection records will be conducted once a month, compared with the current inspections conducted once every three months. According to Yonhap News Agency, radiation checks until now have been limited to imports from Japan and Russia that have a possibility of contamination.