IAEA Head, South Korean Foreign Minister Discuss Nuclear Issues In Asia-Pacific

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin have discussed the North Korean nuclear program, utilization of polluted water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant as well as other nuclear topics of the region, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

SEOUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th December, 2022) IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin have discussed the North Korean nuclear program, utilization of polluted water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant as well as other nuclear topics of the region, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

Grossi came to South Korea on Wednesday. He has also met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Deputy Science Minister Oh Tae-seog and taken part in the international conference on nuclear technologies in Asia-Pacific.

"Park Chin has praised the IAEA's ongoing efforts to bring North Korea back into the international nuclear non-proliferation system and stated that South Korea will continue to work more closely with the IAEA to continue to promote the complete denuclearization of North Korea... Grossi has stated that the IAEA will continue to closely monitor North Korea's activities in in the nuclear field, raise the level of alertness of its member states and continue to strengthen the IAEA's capacity to verify North Korea's nuclear activities," the foreign ministry said.

The sides have also agreed to continue cooperation between South Korea and the IAEA to ensure detailed checks of the process of purification of polluted water from the Fukushima NPP, according to the ministry. Park Jin has expressed his concerns over Japan's plan to dump purified water into the sea, stressing that this operation must be carried out in full accordance with the international standards. He has also specified that he counts on continued participation of South Korean experts and international institutions in the process as well as the IAEA's monitoring.

Grossi has in turn underlined South Korea's commitment to "non-proliferation and nuclear safety" as he expects further "enhanced cooperation." He has also thanked the country's president for his "full support to a nuclear safety and security protection zone at Zaporizhzhya (NPP)."

The parties have also agreed to continue strengthening the practical partnership between South Korea and the IAEA, the ministry reported.