South Korean fishermen staged a maritime rally in the southern coastal county of Boseong on Wednesday to protest against Japan"s planned release of nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean.

Over 100 fishing boats set out from a port of the county on Wednesday afternoon, plowing their way through the glittering blue waves with banners attached on the sides that read "Oppose Fukushima nuclear-contaminated wastewater discharge into the ocean," and "The ocean is not a dumping ground for nuclear-contaminated wastewater."

The long line of boats circled around in southern waters, and 12 of them sailed toward two vessels at the center of the circle. From the two vessels, 120 boxes with a mark symbolizing nuclear pollutants were thrown into the sea to represent Japan"s radioactive wastewater discharge, while fishermen from the 12 boats pulled up the boxes from the sea and delivered them back to the two vessels.

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"It was a performance showing that South Korean people collect the nuclear-contaminated wastewater, released by Japan, and return it back to Japan," Kim Young-chul, executive chief of the Federation of Korean Fishermen"s Associations, told Xinhua.

"The fishing boats circled around to show that if Japan discharges Fukushima nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the sea, South Korean vessels will surround the wastewater and make it no longer flow into other countries," said Kim.

"The ocean is the home of our lives. I have lived all my life with gratitude to the ocean which is like family and a friend, and also my workplace...If Japan discharges Fukushima nuclear-contaminated wastewater, it will become a sea of death. Fishermen will also be dead," Kim added.

Right before the maritime demonstration, the fishermen held a separate rally on land in protest of the nuclear-contaminated wastewater dumping plan.

They chanted the slogan "The Japanese government should immediately retract its plan to dump Fukushima nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the ocean," wearing a red band around their heads with the slogan "Protect our right to life."

The demonstrators urged the South Korean government to firmly oppose Japan"s nuclear-contaminated wastewater discharge plan.

Amid wide criticism from both home and abroad, the Japanese government has been pushing to dump the radioactive wastewater this summer from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which was hit by a massive earthquake and an ensuing tsunami in March 2011.

Earlier this month, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) published its final comprehensive safety review report on Japan"s ocean discharge plan, claiming that the plan "is in conformity with the agreed international standards." However, the IAEA report has failed to dispel concerns among South Korean fishermen.

"Nobody can scientifically estimate the potential danger of Japan"s nuclear-contaminated wastewater discharge, which will last for decades, and such a catastrophe as radioactive wastewater discharge into the sea is unforgivable and must never happen," Chang Dong-beom, a fisherman in his 70s who has worked in the fishing industry for about 50 years, said at the rally.

"Once Japan starts its discharge plan, it will set a precedent for the disposal of radioactive wastewater by sea, causing untold damage that could be a disaster for humanity," Chang told Xinhua.

"The ocean is literally the home of my life. After opening my eyes (in the morning), I went out to the ocean and stayed there sometimes all night long. I have lived such a life," he said.

Chang stressed that he will never accept the destruction of the ocean, upon which his family has relied for the past 31 generations and his son will depend to earn a living.

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