Amano: Nuclear Activity Review of North Korea Can Be Quickly Resumed

Yukiya Amano, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), stated on Monday that the agency can "resume its review of any agreements between the United States and North Korea within a few weeks." As preparations for the summit between the U.S. and North Korea on June 12 are underway, the head of the IAEA emphasized that the agency can carry out any assigned tasks "swiftly." Amano, during a press conference at the agency's headquarters in Vienna, said, "As soon as we receive confirmation from the IAEA Board of Governors, we can begin verifying North Korea's nuclear activities within a few weeks - not months." He added, "It is clear that the only organization capable of conducting these verifications is the IAEA." Reuters reported similar statements from Amano, noting that the IAEA is confident it is the best and most suitable body to assess the outcomes of any agreements between Pyongyang and Washington and can quickly dispatch inspectors to North Korea. The goal of the meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, scheduled for June 12 in Singapore, is to achieve a nuclear-free zone on the Korean Peninsula. The IAEA is currently inspecting Iran's nuclear activities and monitoring its compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), from which the U.S. withdrew last month. IAEA inspectors were expelled from North Korea in 2009. Amano also mentioned that neither the U.S. nor North Korea has requested the agency to oversee the implementation of any agreement should one be reached. He stated, "However, we have been in contact with the relevant parties, and it has become clear that the only entity that can perform the verification task is the IAEA." According to Amano, since no agreement has been reached yet, it is too early to define the agency's role and determine the resources and capabilities it will require. The IAEA's role is to monitor the nuclear activities of countries and ensure that the objectives of these programs remain peaceful and do not deviate from energy production. However, carrying out such a task in North Korea would be extensive. Despite much of North Korea's nuclear program being unknown, it is evident that these programs are advanced, and unlike Iran, North Korea has tested several nuclear weapons.