North Korea shuts more nuclear facilities

18 July 2007

[IAEA, Associated Press, 18 July] North Korea reaffirmed its commitment to nuclear disarmament at six-nation negotiations on the country's nuclear program, which resumed today in Beijing. During the opening session of the talks, North Korea's chief nuclear negotiator, vice foreign minister Kim Kye Gwan, pledged that the country would disclose all its nuclear weapons programs and disable them by the end of the year. In separate talks with South Korea, Kim said that Pyongyang was "willing to declare all its nuclear programs without omitting a single one." Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that North Korea had shut down four nuclear facilities in addition to the Yongbyon reactor closed earlier this week. The IAEA said that the following facilities had also been shut down: "the Radiochemical Laboratory, the Yongbyon Nuclear Fuel Fabrication Plant, the Yongbyon Nuclear Power Plant No.2, and the Nuclear Power Plant at Taechon." The latter two are long-dormant construction sites for larger reactors. The IAEA reported that it "has applied the necessary seals and other measures as appropriate" at the facilities and expects the installation of surveillance and monitoring equipment to be completed in the next few weeks. Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the IAEA, said, "This is an important step in the right direction, but only the first in a long journey." North Korea has begun receiving 50,000 tonnes of oil from South Korea as a reward for shutting the Yongbyon reactor. It will eventually receive a total of 1 million tonnes of oil for ending its nuclear program.

Further information

International Atomic Energy Agency

WNA's Iran, North Korea & Iraq - Implications for Safeguards information paper

WNN: North Korea's Yongbyon reactor shut down
WNN: UN inspectors visit North Korea
WNN: North Korea get its $25 million
WNN: Yongbyon shutdown deadline 14 April

---