The IAEA is ready to verify North Korea's denuclearization.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is ready to verify North Korea's denuclearization if the countries involved reach an agreement.
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International reporters observe the site of the destruction of the Punggye-ri test site on May 24. Photo:Reuters. |
During a meeting with South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon in Vienna, Austria on May 25, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano stated that the agency is closely monitoring the status of North Korea's nuclear program through satellite imagery and is preparing to verify Pyongyang's denuclearization.Yonhap.
The head of the IAEA denied interfering in international politics but pledged a responsible role in North Korea's denuclearization. The IAEA also established a separate group on North Korea last August.
In response, the South Korean Prime Minister suggested that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would understand the IAEA's verification process because the Panmunjom Declaration in April called for complete denuclearization. "The question is how the parties involved can reach a quick and concrete agreement," Lee said.
On the same day, Prime Minister Lee met with Lassina Zerbo, Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). He praised the CTBTO's efforts in monitoring global nuclear testing and maintaining lasting peace in the world.
IAEA and CTBTO leaders have both expressed support for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and called for the swift establishment of a "political agreement" among the countries involved to resolve the issue.
Pyongyang announced on May 25th that it had completed the destruction of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, calling it "living proof" of the North Korean government's pacifist stance.
Punggye-ri is believed to be North Korea's only nuclear test site, where all six of Pyongyang's nuclear tests have taken place, including the most powerful one last September.
