▲ IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated that the South Korean government has notified the agency of its intention to begin consultations to conclude an agreement for the introduction of nuclear-powered submarines.
According to Voice of America (VOA) on the 7th local time, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said during a press conference at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, that "South Korea has officially notified the Secretariat of its intention to initiate consultations with the IAEA regarding a separate arrangement under Article 14 of the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (CSA)."
He stated, "South Korea has already submitted relevant declaration materials to the IAEA and reaffirmed its commitment to fulfilling its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, and the Additional Protocol," adding, "We look forward to continuing consultations in a spirit of transparency."
The NPT, to which South Korea is a party, prohibits non-nuclear-weapon states from diverting nuclear materials such as uranium to nuclear weapons development, and mandates concluding a CSA with the IAEA and accepting safeguards such as inspections to ensure this.
However, Article 14 of the CSA allows a non-nuclear-weapon state to use nuclear material for non-prohibited military purposes through a separate agreement with the IAEA, with nuclear-powered submarines being a prominent example.
The South Korean government believes that concluding a CSA Article 14 agreement will significantly help alleviate concerns in some parts of the international community that South Korea could use enriched uranium for nuclear submarines to develop nuclear weapons.
Regarding the notification of intent to consult with the IAEA, a government official said, "We are proceeding with these procedures to demonstrate our transparent approach to non-proliferation."
Director General Grossi previously stated at a June press conference that discussions with South Korea on a CSA Article 14 agreement were in the early stages and that he had discussed the matter with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun during his visit to South Korea in April.
In May, the government set a goal to launch the first nuclear submarine by the mid-2030s and deploy it to the Navy after operationalization in the late 2030s.
It is expected to be difficult to predict when a separate agreement with the IAEA under Article 14 of the CSA will be finalized.
This is because there is no precedent for an agreement of this type being concluded thus far, and Brazil and Australia, which pursued the introduction of nuclear submarines before South Korea, have also been continuing related consultations with the IAEA for years.
Additionally, Director General Grossi stated that a new uranium enrichment facility in Yongbyon, North Korea, may already be operational or nearing operation.
Asked about the operational status of the new uranium enrichment facility inspected by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in June, he said, "(The IAEA's recent report on North Korea) contains various elements that lead us to assess that the facility may be operational or very close to operation."
Regarding the new enrichment facility in Yongbyon, Director General Grossi explained, "It is similar in scale and infrastructure to the Kangson uranium enrichment facility," adding, "Photographs taken in June of this year indicate that this building houses centrifuges of the same type identified in previously released photos of North Korean enrichment facilities."
He also added that Yongbyon's 5-megawatt reactor appears to be continuing operation through its seventh nuclear fuel irradiation cycle, and that the Yongbyon experimental light water reactor, which had been shut down for a while, has been observed operating again since late April.
(Photo: Getty Images)
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