Former IAEA deputy director general says a lot of denuclearization can happen in six months

Posted on : 2018-06-07 16:32 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Olli Heinonen inspected Yongbyon facilities 1994, 2002 and 2007
Former International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) deputy director general Olli Heinonen
Former International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) deputy director general Olli Heinonen

A former senior official with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said “a lot can be accomplished” with North Korea’s denuclearization in the space of six months to a year. The claim comes amid predictions that denuclearization procedures will take a long time even if Pyongyang does agree to them at the June 12 North Korea-US summit in Singapore.

In a June 5 interview with Radio Free Asia (RFA), former IAEA deputy director general Olli Heinonen said the shutdown and monitoring of nuclear facilities could be done “within just a few weeks.”

Heinonen played a key role in inspecting North Korea’s Yongbyon nuclear facilities in 1994, 2002, and 2007 and is seen as a top expert on inspection and verification of the North’s nuclear program.

In the interview, Heinonen stressed that the timeline for North Korea’s denuclearization could be hastened depending on Pyongyang’s level of commitment.

“It’s going to be important to see what North Korea agrees to and what sort of things it intends to carry out, but if it is willing to allow outside relocation of all its highly enriched uranium, I think the process can go quite quickly,” he said.

“Plutonium would take a bit longer, and dismantling the light-water reactor would take a long time, but there are definitely certain areas that could be resolved quickly,” he added.

Heinonen also said the process of dismantling pieces of enriched uranium “can be seen as a quite simple,” adding, “It’s something that could be completely finished within the short space of a few months.”

In terms of the stages the North would have to go through for denuclearization after the summit, Heinonen said, “The most crucial thing is for North Korea to disclose the content of its nuclear program to date, and the nuclear program it had been planning to pursue going ahead.”

“We’ll need to be able to find out information on the nuclear facilities, as well as stockpiles of all uranium- and plutonium-related nuclear materials and various weapons,” he added.

“Obviously, this included information on its missile program. We will need all that information before we can make a proper decision and implement denuclearization.”

By Noh Ji-won, staff reporter

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