Senior S. Korean, IAEA officials discuss cooperation on N. Korean nuclear issues

Seoul, October 7 - The deputy nuclear envoy from South Korea held talks with the deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the South Korean capital, discussing potential avenues for collaboration on issues related to North Korea's nuclear program, according to Seoul's foreign ministry.

Jeong Yeon-doo, who serves as the vice foreign minister for diplomatic strategy and intelligence, presented an update to Massimo Aparo on the current state of affairs on the Korean Peninsula and South Korea's endeavors to foster peaceful coexistence with North Korea, as per the ministry's statement.

Jeong highlighted the IAEA's significant role in drawing global attention to the North Korean nuclear issue, citing reports issued by the agency's director general. Aparo, in response, affirmed his support for South Korea's diplomatic initiatives aimed at promoting peace and stability across the Korean Peninsula. He emphasized that addressing the North Korean nuclear issue is a crucial agenda item for the IAEA, and detailed the agency's ongoing efforts to maintain heightened readiness for verifying North Korea's nuclear program.

Both parties expressed a mutual desire to bolster communication and cooperation concerning North Korea's nuclear endeavors, the ministry announced. It is worth noting that the IAEA has not had inspectors present in North Korea since Pyongyang severed cooperation and expelled its inspectors in 2009. The cessation of nuclear monitoring began even earlier, following North Korea's withdrawal from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in 2003.

Since then, the agency has been unable to conduct on-site verification of the North's nuclear activities.