Rafael Grossi Calls The IAEA Will Try To Stop North Korea's Nuclear Program

Rafael Grossi (right). (Wikimedia Commons/IAEA Imagebank)

JAKARTA - Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said on Thursday the IAEA would make every effort to stop North Korea's nuclear program and maintain international non-proliferation, according to South Korea's presidential office.

Grossi, who is visiting Seoul, responded to a request from South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol for the agency to join forces in containing what South Korea calls North Korea's nuclear provocation, reaching denuclearization by strengthening monitoring and readiness activities. for inspection.

Grossi said he had the same concern as the international community about North Korea's nuclear issues, South Korea's presidential office said.

Meanwhile, during a meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, Grossi said his organization would push to increase its capacity, to verify North Korea's nuclear activities and raise international awareness of the urgency of its weapons program.

During Thursday's meeting, Park assessed what he called a persistent attempt by the IAEA to convince North Korea to return to the international non-proliferation regime. Park said South Korea would coordinate with the IAEA closer to trying to achieve denuclearization in North Korea, the Park ministry said in a statement.

Concerns about North Korea's nuclear arsenal have grown in recent months, as the country has tested nuclear-capable missiles at high speed and threatened the use of nuclear weapons in advance.

North Korea is believed to have completed preparations for its first nuclear test since 2017, according to officials from South Korea and the United States.

Meanwhile, the IAEA has not had access to North Korea since the communist country expelled its inspectors in 2009. The agency said it used satellite imagery and open source information to monitor the development of North Korea's nuclear program.