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South Korea Pushes to End Nuclear Contretemps
South Korea has mounted an intensive diplomatic campaign to avoid being reported to the U.N. Security Council for conducting unreported nuclear research activities, but diplomats from the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors remain split as they prepare to meet formally Thursday, the Korea Times reported today. The agency circulated a report earlier this month describing past South Korean nuclear activities that should have been revealed as part of Seoul’s nuclear safeguards agreement with the agency. The activities included enriching small amounts of uranium to nearly weapon-grade levels (see GSN, Nov. 12). This week, South Korea dispatched a high-level delegation to the agency’s headquarters in Vienna, where the United States is leading an effort to report Seoul’s transgressions to the U.N. Security Council, according to the Times. U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton has argued that such a move would help Seoul to demonstrate its innocence (see GSN, Oct. 29). Other nations, however, support South Korea’s wishes to avoid referral, the Times reported. Japan reportedly agreed to vouch for South Korea, and China, Russia, Brazil and Malaysia have indicated they would not support a resolution moving the matter to the council. South Korean officials have agreed that the nuclear activities should have been reported, but argue that the work only involved small-scale experiments conducted without official authorization, and that Seoul has no nuclear weapon ambitions (Reuben Staines, Korea Times, Nov. 23).
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