S. Korea detects radiation from Japan passenger

Airport inspectors in Seoul detected radiation from a Japanese passenger today, the Yonhap news agency reported, but the level returned to normal after the traveller removed his coat and shoes.

Airport inspectors in Seoul detected radiation from a Japanese passenger on Thursday, the Yonhap news agency reported, but the level returned to normal after the traveller removed his coat and shoes.

The incident occurred as South Korean authorities screened travellers and food arriving from Japan, as fears over radioactive contamination deepened across the country.

Pharmacies were flooded with calls seeking to buy iodine -- which can reduce the risk of thyroid cancer from radiation exposure -- while crews refused to sail to Japan.

South Korean authorities moved to ease fears, stressing that westerly winds would blow radiation from the crippled nuclear plant in Fukushima, some 1,200 kilometres (750 miles) east of Seoul, out into the Pacific.

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