Minister Kim talks on coming Nuclear Security Summit

Q. How did the Nuclear Security Summit come about? What importance does it have?

A. Nuclear weapons was considered an issue between states before the 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001. After the 9/11, however, the idea that nuclear attacks can be triggered by non-state actors such as terrorists became widely accepted. As such, the 9/11 Commission Report attributed the “failure of imagination” as one of the causes of this attack.

U.S. President Obama has pinpointed nuclear terrorism as the “most immediate and extreme threat” to international security in his Prague speech of April 2009, and laid out his vision for “a world without nuclear weapons.” To this end, he called for as a matter of priority a new international effort to secure all vulnerable nuclear material within four years, and also proposed to host the first Nuclear Security Summit in 2010.

As the first summit was organized to prepare the world against a possible nuclear attack by non-state actors, the Washington Summit holds significance as preventive diplomacy. While the G20 Summit, Summit on Climate Change, and the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness are efforts to resolve ongoing crises, the Nuclear Security Summit is an effort to prevent possible future damage that has not materialized. The Nuclear Security Summit is a “Peace Summit” for world peace and security.

Q. Why was Korea chosen as the host of the second summit?

A. At the first session of the 2010 Washington Summit, U.S. President Obama proposed Korea as the host of the next summit, and the 47 Leaders present expressed their unanimous support. 

I believe that Korea’s strong resolve towards nonproliferation, exemplary observance of the principle of peaceful use of nuclear energy, ample experiences in hosting a number of international meetings, and its capacity to mediate different opinions between states and strike agreements were some of the factors that brought Korea to chairmanship.

Q. What are the results of the Washington Summit?

A. The Washington Summit garnered shared understanding on the gravity of nuclear terrorist threats and also consolidated the political resolve necessary to solve this problem. The Washington Communiqué and a Work Plan were adopted. In addition, 30 countries delivered their voluntary commitments in 70 specific measures in total.

Most commitments have been realized since the Washington Summit. For instance, approximately 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium (enough material to produce 16 nuclear weapons) have been repatriated from 8 countries. Also, over 10 countries have ratified the amended-CPPNM (Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material) and ICSANT (International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism) and 12 Centers of Excellence to provide relevant education and training are under construction around the world.

Q. Who will attend the Summit?

A.Various countries will attend the Seoul Summit including nuclear-weapon states and non-nuclear weapon states, NPT (Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty) parties and non-parties, nuclear power plant operating countries and aspiring countries as well as member states of the Non Alligned Movement.

– 58 Leaders from 53 countries and 4 international organizations (in the case of EU, both the presidents of the European Council and the European Commission will attend) will be at the Summit. 

※ Underlined participants are newly invited countries and international organization which did not take part at the 2010 Washington Summit.

Q. What are the expected accomplishments of the Seoul Summit?

A. First, an outcome document called the Seoul Communiqué will be adopted by the Leaders. Specific and practical measures will be embodied in the document including: removal and minimization of weapon-grade nuclear material; strengthened physical protection of nuclear facilities; and correlation between nuclear security and safety.

In addition, the Leaders are expected to deliver the specific measures and accomplishments that their countries made since the 2010 Washington Summit as well as the measures they will take in the future to strengthen nuclear security.

The following are some of the key measures that will be announced by the Leaders: removal and minimization of nuclear material such as highly enriched uranium and plutonium; conversion of nuclear reactors running on highly enriched uranium to run on low enriched uranium; ratification of relevant international agreements such as amended CPPNM and ICSANT; and the establishment of Centers of Excellence.

Korea’s status as the Chair of this Summit will be elevated. As Korea will have hosted premier forums in both the economic and security fields through hosting the G20 Summit in 2010 and the Nuclear Security Summit this year, Korea’s “national brand” will be greatly enhanced.

Q. How real is the threat of nuclear terrorism?

A. Currently, it is estimated that around 1,600 tons of highly enriched uranium and 500 tons of plutonium are scattered around the world. This is enough material to fashion some 126,500 nuclear bombs. In addition, the IAEA reported that during 1993-2011, there were 2,164 identified cases of nuclear and radioactive material that were out of regulatory control.

In addition, the U.S. Government suggested in the 2010 Nuclear Posture Review that nuclear terrorism is the “most immediate and extreme threat” today.

Q. Will the North Korean nuclear issue be discussed at the Seoul Summit?

A. As the Nuclear Security Summit aims at the prevention of nuclear terrorism, nonproliferation involving state actors such as the North Korean nuclear issue will not be addressed. As such, even though the North Korean and Iranian issues are very important international issues, they are not on the formal agenda of this Summit.

Any nuclear programme of North Korea is a clear violation of international norms and obligations including the UN Security Council resolutions. We are seeking to resolve the issue through the Six-Party Talks process.

Nevertheless, one of the main objectives of the Nuclear Security Summit is to minimize the use of nuclear material such as highly enriched uranium and plutonium. If North Korea has such material, the Seoul Summit will convey the message that it should renounce them. Also, the very fact that 58 world leaders gather in Seoul to engage in discussions on nuclear issues will serve as a unified message of the international community supporting the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula.

Moreover, as major Leaders including the states parties to the Six-Party Talks will attend the Seoul Summit, the North Korean nuclear issue will be naturally discussed on separate occasions such as bilateral summit talks.

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