IAEA May Inspect Both North & South for Nukes
by Richardson ~ October 2nd, 2005. Filed under: Six-Party Talks.This probably would have been impossible in 1994, and may be a key difference between those inspections, and those perhaps to come. While there is no need to inspect the South, this feature is key to saving face (체면 유지 수단) for the North.
From the Korea Times, ‘S. Korea May Face Nuke Inspections:’
South Korea could face nuclear inspections in parallel with North Korea as part of efforts to verify a long-sought deal on Pyongyang’s nuclear disarmament… However, [U.S. lead negotiator Christopher] Hill reiterated that the U.S. has withdrawn all nuclear arms from its bases in the South… South Korea says it has no nuclear weapons programs, although it underwent an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) probe last year following revelations that scientists at a state-run research lab had carried out experiments involving the separation of tiny amounts of weapons-grade nuclear material. North Korea has repeatedly asserted that South Korea should also be subject to inspections as part of any denuclearization pact.
And from the Dong-A Ilbo, ‘Government Willing to Accept Pyongyang’s Mutual Inspection Request:’
It was reported that South Korea and the U.S. would accept a North Korean request for mutual inspections between the two Koreas, including U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) facilities, in the process of dismantling its nuclear program… This mutual inspection would be the first inspection since the Korean War, meaning that Seoul, Pyongyang, and Washington would unveil their key military facilities to each other. It is unprecedented for the U.S. to allow a third country, in particular, a hostile country, to inspect its overseas military bases.


