By Due to the ongoing nuclear issue the South Korean government has moved their rescue workers out of the Sendai area:
The government has pulled all members of its rescue team sent to quake-stricken Japan out of the ravaged city of Sendai due to concerns about the workers’ possible exposure to radiation, a senior government official said Saturday.
“Some members of the team who had remained in Sendai are moving to Niigata, where the main force is staying,” said the official. “They will join the main force later in the day.”
Seoul moved about two-thirds of its 107-member team of rescue workers from Sendai on the east coast to the western coastal city of Niigata on Friday, as there is a risk of harmful radioactive contamination in the eastern coastal region.
A foreign ministry official noted that the retreat is not solely based on the explicit threat of radiation leakage from nuclear power plants in Fukushima, about 250 kilometers northeast of Tokyo.
“We moved the rescue team to Niigata as our rescue mission in Sendai has been completed,” said an official from the foreign ministry in Seoul. “They will be stationed in Niigata and schedule further rescue missions with the Japanese government.” [Korea Times]
11:54 am on March 20th, 2011 1
The word is they're completely frustrated with the Japanese government officials. The first day on the job, they were sent to an area where there were hardly any damage. The Japanese civilians there were scratching their head and wondering what's the Korean rescue team doing here, there's no damage here. And every time Korean team wants to do something, the Japanese side says no due to Japanese rules and regulations. The hindrance from the Japanese government is so bad, the Koreans are wondering if this is by purposeful design. They really don't want the rescuers to find anyone alive. They've pulled out a few dead bodies, but that's just about it. But they're extremely frustrated that they can't do more.
12:07 pm on March 20th, 2011 2
The important thing is this: the world will learn once and for all whether kimchi prevents radiation poisoning.