Korea announces start of discussions on CSA Article 14 agreement with IAEA to introduce nuclear-powered submarines

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporters Kwon Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-heon = The Korean government has notified the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of its intention to begin discussions to conclude an agreement to introduce nuclear-powered submarines, the head of the IAEA announced.

According to the Voice of America (VOA) broadcast on the 7th (local time), IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said at a press conference held at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria that day, "Korea has officially notified the Secretariat of its intention to begin consultations with the IAEA regarding a separate agreement under Article 14 of the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (CSA)."

He added, "Korea has already submitted relevant reporting materials to the IAEA and reaffirmed its promise to fulfill its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, and the Additional Protocol," and added, "I look forward to continued discussions under the spirit of transparency in the future."

The NPT, to which Korea has joined, prohibits non-nuclear weapon states from diverting nuclear materials such as uranium to develop nuclear weapons. To ensure this, it enters into a CSA with the IAEA and imposes an obligation to accept safety measures such as inspections.

However, Article 14 of the CSA allows non-possessing countries to use nuclear materials for military purposes not prohibited through a separate agreement with the IAEA, a representative example of which is nuclear-powered submarines.

The Korean government believes that concluding the CSA Article 14 agreement will be of great help in resolving concerns raised by some in the international community that Korea may use enriched uranium for nuclear submarines to develop nuclear weapons.

Regarding the notification of intent to consult with the IAEA, a government official said, "We are proceeding with the procedures to show that we are taking a transparent approach to non-proliferation."

Secretary-General Grossi previously said at a press conference in June that discussions on the Article 14 CSA agreement with Korea were in the early stages and that he discussed this issue with Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun during his visit to Korea in April.

Last May, the government proposed a goal of launching the first nuclear submarine by the mid-2030s and deploying it to the navy in the late 2030s.

It seems difficult to predict how long a separate agreement with the IAEA will be established under Article 14 of the CSA.

This is because there is no precedent for this type of agreement to have been signed so far, and Brazil and Australia, which began pursuing the introduction of nuclear submarines before Korea, have also been in related discussions with the IAEA for several years.

Secretary-General Grossi also said that a new uranium enrichment facility in Yongbyon, North Korea, may already be in operation or may be on the verge of operation.

In response to a question about whether the new uranium enrichment facility that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected in June was operational, he said, "(IAEA's recent report on North Korea) included several factors that lead us to determine that the facility may be operating or very close to operating."

Secretary-General Grossi explained about the new enrichment facility in Yongbyon, "It is similar in size and infrastructure to the uranium enrichment facility in Gangseon. According to photos taken in June of this year, this building appears to be equipped with the same type of centrifuge as confirmed in previously released photos of North Korea's enrichment facility."

In addition, Yongbyon's 5 MW (megawatt) nuclear reactor appears to be continuing to operate even in its seventh nuclear fuel irradiation cycle, and the Yongbyon light water reactor, which had been shut down for a while, has also been observed to have restarted since the end of April.