■Turkey‧Syria, Shakedown by Earthquake

Earthquakes that hit southern Turkey and northwestern Syria caused the most significant casualties in Turkey’s history. According to the Associated Press News (AP News), Yunus Sezer, the head of Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD) said there had been about 42,310 earthquake fatalities in Turkey in a briefing on February 21st (local time). Considering that about 5,814 deaths had occurred in Syria, the total number of fatalities in both countries is about 48,124. The damage from the earthquake surpassed the 1939 Erzincan earthquake (32,968 deaths) in northeastern Turkey, leading to one of the worst natural disasters in the 20th century.

The government collected a Special Communication Tax (SCT) in Turkey, and some people pointed out that the tax was not used properly. After the 1999 Izmit earthquake, the Turkish government strengthened regulations of earthquake resistance and collected about 6 trillion won (463,041$) in earthquake tax for earthquake preparedness. The BBC claimed that the government has never publicly explained how the tax was spent.

Turkey‧Syria governments are focusing on helping relief efforts caused by the disaster, but survivors are still in trouble. Tents and containers have been prepared for them, but they still suffer from food and drinking shortages and are exposed to the cold weather.

■Japan, Pushing Ahead with Releasing Contaminated-Water

Amid the Japanese government’s decision to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea, many strongly argue for Japan to review its decision.

In April 2021, Japan's Suga government decided to release 1.3 million tons of radioactively contaminated water from Fukushima's first nuclear power plant into the sea from this year. The Japanese government plans to dilute contaminated water with seawater in front of the nuclear power plant through ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing System), making the radioactive concentration less than 1,500㏃ (Becquerel) per one liter, which is 1/40 based on its regulatory standard, and release it.

Jeju Youth Climate Peace Action and Fukushima Fisheries Association are strongly opposed to discharging contaminated water. The water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant includes radioactive nuclear materials such as tritium, cesium-134, cesium-137, and Strontium-90. People point out that they can be exposed to radiation if they eat marine products and radioactive materials are absorbed inside human bodies. Rockfish, trout, and bass near Fukushima were found to contain more than the standard amount of cerium.

People constantly raise concerns about safety, but the Japanese government claims that contaminated water is harmless. According to the Asahi newspaper, on February 22nd (local time), the Japanese government has been proposing a statement welcoming the transparent treatment of discharge at the April G7 environment ministers’ meeting. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said, “Releasing the Fukushima nuclear power plant is proceeding with safety as a top priority. ALPS contaminated water will be discharged into the sea after securing safety."

■Brazil, Democracy Stained by 'Rioting'

Within a week of the Lula administration being elected, supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro rioted against the result of the vote, fueling political division.

On January 8th (local time), about 3,000 supporters of Bolsonaro attacked the presidential palace, the National Assembly building, and the Supreme Court. It took about five hours to be stopped by security forces. It has been a week since Luis Inacio Lula da Silva was inaugurated as Brazil's new president. 

The riots began in October 2022 when former President Bolsonaro lost the presidential election by a slight margin (1.8%p). Bolsonaro's supporters started claiming that the election was manipulated. Since October 31st, 2022, after the results of the presidential election were announced, they have blocked a number of highways for more than three weeks and held large-scale protests and rallies.

The Lula government defined the incident as a terrorist·coup and arrested 1,500 people who participated in the riot. Former President Bolsonaro faces a Brazilian prosecution investigation into whether he was involved in the attack.

■After One Year of the Russia-Ukrainian War

The Russia-Ukrainian war, which began with the Russian invasion, entered its second year on February 24th (local time), and it is not expected soon to end.

AP News claims that Russia will never stop the war, referring to territory and political beliefs. Russia occupied the Crimean Peninsula called the "Sacred Land of Putin” in 2014 and still claims it is originally its territory. However, the international community does not recognize it. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian leaders do not see Ukraine as a country with its own identity, citing that it belonged to their historical sphere of influence throughout the Russian Empire and the former Soviet era. 

Meanwhile, citizens of the world are showing support for Ukraine. According to the AP News, protesters gathered in front of the Russian embassy in Berlin, Germany, waving Ukrainian flags and condemning Russia's war of aggression. According to Reuters, thousands of Georgians marched across the border with Russia to call for an end to the war in Ukraine.

On February 21st (local time), Putin declared the suspension of the New Start Treaty (New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), a nuclear arms reduction agreement with the United States, and it brought a fear of nuclear war to the world. It means that it will liberalize the use of missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, without limiting the number of long-range nuclear warheads that can be deployed.

The Biden administration in the U.S. appealed for the unity of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and warned of countermeasures. President Biden said, "We will continue to support Ukraine. We are completely solidly united."

Reporter Kim Hyeon-Hee

Translated by Kim Hyeon-Hee