The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) arrived in South Korea on Friday to explain the analysis of the U.N. watchdog’s safety review of Japan’s planned release of treated radioactive water from its crippled Fukushima plant.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi was met by a group of angry protesters at Seoul’s Gimpo airport.

Dozens of protesters gathered in front of the airport’s VIP exit, with some of them loudly chanting slogans like “Grossi, go home,” “Oppose marine dumping” and “Leave Korea, Grossi.”

They occasionally clashed physically with the policemen who were positioned in front of the cordoned-off area.

After about two hours since his arrival, he successfully left the airport Saturday, using another passage that went unnoticed by both the protesters and reporters.

Grossi flew in from Japan following the agency’s conclusion that Japan’s plan to release treated radioactive water from the plant into the sea is consistent with international safety standards.

While in Japan, Grossi delivered the IAEA’s report on Tokyo’s water release plan to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The report was seen as a blessing for Japan’s planned water discharge, expected to begin in August.

It, however, prompted serious concerns in other countries, especially South Korea, where many believe the IAEA may have neglected or failed to verify the potential long-term impact of treated wastewater on people and the environment.

The IAEA director general is expected to hold meetings with Yoo Guk-hee, head of South Korea’s Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, and Foreign Minister Park Jin. He also plans to meet officials from the main opposition Democratic Party next week, according to a party official.

Ahead of his visit here, the Seoul government said Japan’s plan to release contaminated water from the Fukushima plant would meet international standards, including those set by the IAEA, if carried out as planned.

Source: Yonhap News Agency