Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, speaks during the Mediterranean Dialogues conference in Rome, Italy on December 2, 2022. (Reuters-Yonhap)
UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi will discuss North Korea, among other issues, during his three-day trip to South Korea, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
The trip, which started Wednesday after a five-year hiatus, comes as South Korea looks for a more coordinated international response to North Korea’s provocations. This year, Pyongyang has conducted a record number of missile launches, prompting not only Seoul, but the international community to step up efforts to rein in the isolated country’s nuclear weapons program.
Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, will meet with Foreign Minister Park Jin on Thursday to debate steps to curb North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. The watchdog chief has recently stressed the role of his agency, saying that North Korea is clearly preparing for another nuclear test and that the move poses a threat to the world.
Grossi and Park will also address concerns over contaminated water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan. Environmental groups have called for more thorough checks before releasing the waste, scheduled for April in 2023, saying the Japanese government had watered down safety rules to make the disposal easy. Tokyo has dismissed health worries.
Grossi will leave the country shortly after meeting with Science Minister Lee Jong-ho on Friday.
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