Over 100,000 South Koreans signed a campaign opposing Japan's planned release of radioactive water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant. The signature campaign was initiated by South Korea's leading opposition Democratic Party (DP) which commenced in the capital Seoul on Friday.

DP Chairman Lee Jae-Myung expressed his concerns, saying DP will "fight, together with the people," to keep ocean waters clean and to ensure sea food industry workers "do not suffer damage."

Japan plans to release treated radioactive wastewater into the sea in the spring or summer, triggering opposition and concerns from local fishing communities and neighboring countries.

A new survey has found that 8 out of 10 Koreans oppose the Japanese government's plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean. The survey was conducted by the polling organization Research View and was released by the Korea Federation for Environmental Movements on Thursday.

It surveyed 1,000 Korean men and women aged 18 or older from May 19 to May 22. The result showed that 73 percent of respondents were "strongly opposed" to the release of contaminated water, while 12.4 percent were "generally opposed." In total, 85.4 percent were against the move.

The proportion of respondents who said they "generally agreed" or "strongly agreed" were 6.4 percent and 4.3 percent, respectively. Those who answered "unsure" or "other" accounted for 3.9 percent.

Besides, 79 percent of respondents did not trust the Japanese government's claim that discharging contaminated water from Fukushima would cause no safety issues. Only 17 percent of those surveyed said they trusted this statement.

South Korea had sent a 21-member expert delegation to Fukushima for the inspection of the facility and concluded the tour on Thursday. The team examined facilities associated with the K4 tanks, which have been specifically designed for the storage and measurement of radioactive materials. The assessment report, according to South Korean experts, is expected to be released after they confirm several things.

The DP had voiced opposition against the team's visit, claiming it could end up giving a blessing to the planned release of contaminated water. The party also accused South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol of taking Japan's side at the expense of the health of his own people.