Radiation trace found on Japan air passengers to S.Korea

SEOUL - South Korean officials detected unusually high levels of radiation on three passengers arriving from Japan on Thursday on the first day of such checks at the country’s main Incheon airport, news reports said.

A Japanese man in his 50s who is believed to have lived in the Fukushima prefecture had a reading exceeding 1 microsieverts from his hat and coat, which is several times the normal reading, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said. The level poses no public health risk and officials will release the three passengers, YTN television said.

South Korea’s nuclear safety agency has said it considered 300 nanosieverts per hour as the ceiling of normal level of radiation in atmosphere. One microsievert translates to 1,000 nanosieverts.

The checks at the airport were voluntary, a Reuters photographer at the airport said.

Vice Science Minister Kim Chang-kyung told lawmakers on Thursday that officials were preparing to set up monitoring devices at the southern port of Busan soon to measure radiation levels on ferry passengers arriving from Japan.