International Network of Engineers and Scientists Against Proliferation

Many Difficulties Remain with Verifying North Korea's Nuclear Program

A culture of secrecy, ignorance of international standards, and the lack of the rule of law in the nation are all barriers to verifying the DPRK's past nuclear activities, Nautilus Senior Program Officer Timothy Savage told the conference on "Verification and Non-Cooperation" held from February 22-24. Noting that verifying past nuclear activities requires a great deal of openness and cooperation, Savage argued that an improvement in the political situation on the Korean Peninsula, and particularly progress in U.S.-DPRK relations, would be the best way to ensure that the DPRK comes into full compliance with International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, as required under the 1994 U.S.-DPRK Agreed Framework.

This piece of information was posted on the Nautilus webpage on March 1, 2002. Nautilus hosts the Northeast Asia Peace and Security Network and maintains an extensive webpage on the issue at www.nautilus.org.

(R.H)