South Korea has placed a temporary import ban on 35 Japanese seafood products because of fears of lingering radiation contamination from last year's devastating nuclear disaster.

Seoul's Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries says the ban is a temporary measure meant to protect South Korean citizens from products originating from the waters near the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

The plant located off the northeast coast of Japan was crippled last March by a massive earthquake and tsunami, causing a partial meltdown and releasing potentially dangerous radiation over a wide area.

Radiation levels in seafood from Fukushima have been declining slowly, but most fisheries products from the affected region are still prohibited from being sold. The products that have been cleared for sale have so far been received tentatively by potential buyers.

The items banned Wednesday by South Korea include several types of flatfish, clams and sea urchins, products that are already prohibited from sale in Japan. With the latest move, Seoul now prohibits a total of 64 Japanese seafood items from entering South Korea.