Deputy Director General of IAEA Safeguards Department Visited KAERI

The IAEA delegation led by Mr. Tero Varjoranta, head of the IAEA's Safeguards Department, visited KAERI on April 6, 2016

Dr. Kim, President of KAERI, said that KAERI has been categorized as being a highest-level entity in maintaining security and that it has faithfully fulfilled  the IAEA safeguard obligations while maintaining the IAEA security recommendations and rules. He also stated that KAERI has provided a report on the accountancy and management of nuclear materials to the IAEA, which contains information on the design of 11 nuclear facilities and on handling nuclear materials under a comprehensive safeguard agreement and an AP (additional protocol).

Mr. Tero Varjoranta noted that Korea is a politically and technically strong and close partner to the IAEA in the IAEA’s handling of such issues as North Korea’s nuclear program and the Iranian issue, with Korea providing financial contributions to these IAEA programs. He said that he was greatly impressed with the activities Korea has conducted both at home and abroad, such as the construction of nuclear power plants in the UAE, the Jordan Research and Training Reactor (JRTR), and SMART in Saudi Arabia. Mr. Tero Varjoranta noted that as the IAEA’s resources to support these safeguard activities have not increased, the IAEA needs to boost its productivity by modernizing its safeguard information technology, streamline its safeguard activities, and increase cooperation with member states with a main focus placed on small countries. He stated that, as many newcomer countries have an interest in introducing an SMR, the IAEA also has a strong interest in how to apply the IAEA safeguard systems to countries where
SMRs will be deployed in the future.

The IAEA delegation made a tour of SMART-ITL and the research reactor fuel fabrication facility. Their visit to KAERI came one day before the fourth round of high-level consultation meeting between Korea and the IAEA amid the growing threat of North Korea's nuclear weapons program and nuclear proliferation around the world.