World News | Seoul: UN Agency to Boost Efforts to Monitor N. Korean Nukes
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. The head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency said Thursday his organisation will push to bolster its capacity to verify North Korean nuclear activities and raise international awareness of the urgency of its weapons programme.
Seoul, Dec 15 (AP) The head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency said Thursday his organisation will push to bolster its capacity to verify North Korean nuclear activities and raise international awareness of the urgency of its weapons programme.
Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, made the comments during his meeting in Seoul with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, according to the South Korean Foreign Ministry.
Grossi flew to South Korea on Wednesday for his first trip to the Asian country since he took office in 2019.
During their meeting Thursday, Park appraised what he called IAEA's persistent efforts to convince North Korea to return to an international nonproliferation regime. Park said South Korea will coordinate with IAEA more closely to try to achieve North Korea's denuclearization, Park's ministry said in a statement.
Also Read | Ahmad Abouammo, Former Twitter Employee, Jailed for Over 3 Years for Spying for Saudi Arabia.
Grossi sad IAEA will keep closely monitoring North Korean nuclear activities. He said IAEA will push to promote member states' awareness of the seriousness of the North's nuclear programme while trying to strengthen capabilities to verify its nuclear activities, the statement said.
In remarks open to the media at the start of the meeting, Grossi said that “concerns around and about the nuclear programme” of North Korea are among “so many important issues” that IAEA and South Korea are working on together.
During a separate meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol earlier Thursday, Grossi said IAEA will make efforts to help curb North Korea's nuclear programme while the South Korean leader called for IAEA's support for a push for North Korea's denuclearization, according to Yoon's office.
Worries about North Korea's nuclear arsenal have grown in recent months as the country has tested nuclear-capable missiles in a record pace and threatened the preemptive use of nuclear weapons. South Korean and US officials have said for months that North Korea has been ready to perform its first nuclear test in five years.
In late October, Grossi said IAEA also saw preparations for a North Korea nuclear test. He said the test "would be yet another confirmation of a programme which is moving full-steam ahead in a way that is incredibly concerning.”
The IAEA has not had access to North Korean nuclear facilities since the country kicked out IAEA inspectors in 2009. The agency has said it uses satellite imagery and open source information to monitor developments in North Korea's nuclear programme. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)