Amano Calls for Return of IAEA Inspectors to North Korea

Yukiya Amano, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has urged North Korea to allow IAEA inspectors to return to the country. On Thursday, December 1, during his speech at the agency, Mr. Amano referred to North Korea's mention of actions towards denuclearization of the peninsula about two months ago, including the permanent shutdown of the Yongbyon reactor, saying: "Activities have been reported at this facility... but the agency cannot confirm the nature and purpose of these activities without access to the site." According to the Associated Press, Mr. Amano did not provide details about the "exact timing of the reported activities at Yongbyon" in his conversation with reporters, only stating that agency inspectors are ready to obtain permission to return there. North Korea expelled IAEA inspectors from the Yongbyon nuclear facility, which produced plutonium, in 2009 and has since not allowed inspectors to return. The IAEA has stated that after expelling its inspectors, it has increased its monitoring of North Korea's nuclear activities through public information and satellite imagery. The Yongbyon nuclear facility is located 100 kilometers from the capital of North Korea and was the site of nuclear fission and plutonium production for North Korea's nuclear tests from 2006 to 2017, during which Pyongyang conducted six nuclear tests. A historic meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, the leaders of the United States and North Korea, took place on June 12 of this year in Singapore, raising hopes for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. However, in the months following, tensions in the relationship between the two countries emerged, including the postponement of a meeting between the U.S. Secretary of State and a senior North Korean official, as well as a visit by the North Korean leader to a weapons and nuclear facility. About ten days ago, North Korean state media reported that Kim Jong Un visited the production center of an "advanced tactical weapon" after about a year. On the same day, North Korea announced it would release an American citizen who had been detained for "illegal entry" into the country. Nevertheless, Donald Trump, the President of the United States, expressed hope for the continuation of the denuclearization process on the Korean Peninsula and stated last month that preparations for his second meeting with the North Korean leader would be made after the elections in the U.S. On the other hand, the Interfax news agency reported that diplomatic officials from Russia met with senior North Korean officials in Pyongyang on Thursday to discuss "denuclearization." According to this report, in a meeting with Alexander Matsyura, the Russian ambassador to Pyongyang, along with the director of the Russian Energy and Security Studies Center, they exchanged views with Choe Son-hui, the Deputy Foreign Minister of North Korea, about the "current situation on the Korean Peninsula regarding dialogue between North Korea and the United States," and both sides emphasized resolving remaining issues based on the principle of [step-by-step denuclearization].