SOUTH KOREA said today that it will appeal against a World Trade Organisation (WTO) decision against bans on imports of Japanese fishery products after the Fukushima nuclear meltdowns.

The government said it wanted to protect public health and safety and would maintain its existing regulations on imports of Japanese seafood.

Japan had complained to the WTO about South Korea’s ban, saying it violated WTO rules, was discriminatory and served as a trade barrier.

In 2013, South Korea banned imports of all fishery products from eight Japanese provinces near Fukushima after Tokyo Electric Power reported leaks of radiation-contaminated water.

That tightened restrictions already imposed after the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power station in March 2011, when a tsunami wrecked the plant and caused its reactors to melt down.

It also required inspection certificates for food products from Japan if small amounts of radioactive cesium or iodine were detected.

China also bans seafood and other agricultural products from Fukushima and nine other prefectures, including Tokyo. It requires certificates on foods from the rest of Japan.