North Korea’s Nuclear Secret: IAEA Chief Demands Transparency as US Ally Warns of Pyongyang’s Surpassing Capabilities

Grossi estimates North Korea has up to 50 nuclear warheads
“We must pursue dialogue even if it violates international law.”
Some of the US memorandum also claims that “we must begin nuclear disarmament”
There are concerns that the stance on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula could be shaken… Government stresses that “denuclearization is a condition for world peace”

“We must recognize that North Korea has nuclear weapons and engage in dialogue.”

Rafael Grossi (63), Secretary General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which oversees the international community’s nuclear policy, said in an interview with the Associated Press on the 26th (local time), “North Korea is violating sanctions The United Nations and international law, but there is no need for dialogue (with North Korea).” “We have to pursue this,” he said, expressing concern that suspending dialogue with North Korea escalates the situation into an unmanageable state.

The IAEA is an agency responsible for inspecting and verifying North Korea’s nuclear facilities in accordance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Controversy is expected because Secretary General Grossi, head of the IAEA, has made a statement acknowledging that North Korea has nuclear weapons. In addition, North Korea’s admission that it possesses nuclear weapons is contrary to the goal of ‘denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula’ which South Korea and the international community have maintained until now. Ahead of the US presidential election on November 5, some in US political circles are arguing ‘that it is realistic to stop denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and begin nuclear disarmament’, raising concerns that the controversy surrounding the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. it can grow.

● “North Korea has up to 50 nuclear weapons”

General Grossi said on this day, “North Korea’s nuclear program should be condemned for violating Security Council sanctions and international law,” adding, “After North Korea became a ‘de facto nuclear weapons state’ in 2006 , there was no international connection, which also significantly expanded his nuclear program.” Then he emphasized, “We need to stop talking to each other and think seriously.”

He mentioned that North Korea had recently released photos of a weapons-grade production facility capable of producing highly enriched uranium (HEU), the raw material for nuclear warheads, and said, “North Korea has a massive nuclear program. “It is possible to estimate that it has around 30 or 50 nuclear warheads,” he said. He mentioned that, in addition to North Korea, major countries around the world are also increasing their nuclear weapons, and he expressed concern that “this is a very fundamental and unstable problem that we have to solve.”

The US Democratic Party and the Republican Party recently removed phrases related to the ‘denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula’ from their newly adopted ‘policy policy’ for the first time in four years ahead of the presidential election. US President Joe Biden also expressed concern about global conflicts, including the war in Ukraine and the war in the Middle East, in his speech from the United Nations on the 24th, but did not mention North Korea. An interpretation was raised that the interest and will of the US political community in the denuclearization of North Korea has decreased significantly. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 26th, “The term denuclearization of North Korea is a closed issue for us.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs indirectly expressed its dissatisfaction with Secretary General Grossi’s comments, saying, “The denuclearization of North Korea is a necessary condition for ensuring peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and around the world and is the unanimous goal of the international community. ” An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said, “North Korea has not responded to any proposals (for dialogue) and has been focusing on nuclear development and provocations. He also pointed out, “Even during the dialogue, they continued to develop nuclear missiles and repeatedly violated the agreement.” This means that North Korea had almost no intention of denuclearization from the beginning.

● O’Brien “Korea’s defense budget should be increased to 3.0-3.5% of GDP”

The former National Security Adviser of the White House, Robert O’Brien, who is mentioned as a strong candidate for the Secretary of State if the Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump wins the presidential election, said at an event at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) in Washington on the same day that North Korea, Iran, etc. have nuclear weapons capabilities, I was concerned that we were ahead of the game. He said, “North Korea and Iran use far more centrifuges (to produce nuclear weapons) than the United States.”

In particular, he also pressed for an increase in defense spending, saying, “Korea’s defense budget, which is currently 2.5% of GDP, must be increased to 3.0-3.5% of GDP.” Currently, South Korea is discussing defense cost sharing with the Biden administration.

However, a high-ranking foreign affairs and security official said, “Korea spends 2.8% of its GDP on defense. He refuted this statement, saying, “It is an incomparably higher level than major European countries, where the average is less than 2%.” He went on to say, “Korea is the leading country in terms of investment in the United States and the country that created 470,000 jobs in the United States.” He also said that Korea does not unilaterally benefit from the United States and that it helps the United States and contributes to the alliance between the two countries.

Alan Kim, a senior researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a US think tank, said in a report on the ‘Global Impact of the 2024 US Presidential Election’ that day, “Candidate Trump is consider Korea as ‘a trade enemy and a free rider on security.’” Diagnosis. It has been predicted that when it returns to force, there is a possibility that the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will be scrapped and a blanket tariff of 10 to 20 percent will be imposed on Korean products.

New York = Correspondent Lim Woo-sun imsun@donga.com
Reporter Ko Do-ye yea@donga.com
Reporter Lee Ji-yoon asap@donga.com