PRESS CONFERENCE BY REPUBLIC OF KOREA
Press Briefing
PRESS CONFERENCE BY REPUBLIC OF KOREA
19970214
FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY
An agreement to move nuclear waste from Taiwan, Republic of China, to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea could create serious problems for the international community, a delegation from the Republic of Korea's National Assembly told a Headquarters press conference Thursday, 13 February.
The delegation was comprised of National Assembly members Suh Sang-Mok, Song-Sung Cho, Sun-Kil Kim, Kyu Cho Wong and Lee Bu-Young. Prior to their briefing at the United Nations, the members met with United States Government officials in Washington, D.C. to discuss the movement of radioactive waste.
On 11 January 1997, Mr. Suh said, the Taiwan Electric Company signed a contract with North Korea to transfer 60,000 barrels of nuclear waste during the next two years. It was the understanding of the delegation that if the deal went well, additional barrels of nuclear waste would be transferred to North Korea.
The most immediate problems posed by the deal would be environmental, Mr. Suh continued. North Korea did not have the technical experience to safely handle this kind of nuclear waste. North Korea was also suffering serious economic difficulties, and it would not invest the financial resources necessary to store and handle the nuclear waste in a scientific and proper way. It had been proposed that the Taiwanese nuclear waste would be dumped in an abandoned mine located 30 miles north of the demilitarized zone. The Korean peninsula was heavily populated -- as populated as Taiwan -- and an improper dumping ground for nuclear waste.
In addition, the proposed deal between North Korea and Taiwan would establish a dangerous precedent for the international community, Mr. Suh said. The international community prohibited the transfer of nuclear waste to countries which could not dispose of it safely. The Lome Convention (1989) specifically prohibited the movement of hazardous and radioactive waste into African countries. In 1994, the Commission on Sustainable Development called upon the international community to take all necessary steps to prohibit the export of radioactive waste, except to countries with appropriate waste treatment and storage facilities.
Mr. Suh said the maintenance of peace and security in north-east Asia would also be harmed by the Taiwan-North Korea deal. For obvious reasons, the South Korean general public was very unhappy with the agreement, and the Governments of China and Japan had also expressed concern about the deal. In a related matter, the Republic of Korea had concluded the 1994 Agreed Framework and KEDO arrangement with North Korea in an effort to address
nuclear concerns on the Korean peninsula. Due to the adverse sentiment concerning the deal, the Korean National Assembly might face opposition in its attempt to approve the Government's proposal to fund future KEDO projects. If South Korea allowed that kind of transfer of nuclear waste into North Korea, it would be very difficult for members of the National Assembly to explain to their constituents why they were also going to spend billions of dollars to finance a light-water nuclear reactor.
Asked if it was logical to assume that North Korea would agree to any deal in order to get money to prop up its sagging economy, Mr. Cho said one of the reasons the National Assembly was opposing the transfer was that the proposed site for the waste was only 28 miles from the demilitarized zone. The old mine was structured in such a way that groundwater could easily infiltrate South Korea and endanger its citizens, as well as United States citizens, stationed there.
The same correspondent asked whether North Korea's actions were simply part of a ploy to get food assistance from South Korea. Mr. Cho said perhaps North Korea wanted to structure a package deal to address both the food and the nuclear waste issues. The National Assembly would expect such a proposal, but they were trying to stop the deal in its early stages by arousing international sentiment.
Mr. Suh added that they did not know North Korea's exact motive for agreeing to the transfer of nuclear waste, but by doing so North Korea was making it harder for the South Korean Government to help North Korea.
Asked if members of the National Assembly had discussed the matter with North Korea and what the response had been, Mr. Lee said the delegation had not yet received a response from the North Korean Government, but it had a tendency not to pay attention to international public opinion.
The same correspondent said that, according to the Taiwanese government the transport of nuclear waste would be controlled and supervised by a third- party. Mr. Lee said he recently visited Taiwan and had met with the President of the Taiwan Electric Company. When he asked them with whom they made a contract and with what conditions, they refused to answer. However, they had told him that they were required to submit documents to the Taiwanese nuclear energy agency for approval, and the agency had not yet approved their request.
Mr. Wong added that it was a well-known fact that North Korea never abided by international rules, laws and regulations. Mr. Suh said that the delegation understood that the shipment and storage of the nuclear waste was the responsibility of North Korea.
Asked what the chances of stopping the deal were, Mr. Suh said he hoped they had a good chance. South Korea was not acting alone in the matter; China and Japan, as well as the United States, were also unhappy with the
Republic of Korea Press Conference - 3 - 14 February 1997
transfer of nuclear waste. The delegation had also learned that in a few days many environmental non-governmental organizations were going to demonstrate in front of Taiwanese embassies and agencies. The deal was already creating very bad international public opinion.
A correspondent asked if the government representatives in Washington had made any promises to the delegation during their visit yesterday. Mr. Suh said Washington officials said they would do their best through quiet diplomacy.
Asked if South Korea would contribute to the World Food Program's fund for North Korea, Mr. Suh said that was a different issue, and they had no intention of linking the issue of food assistance with the movement of nuclear waste. Mr. Cho added that, given the current sentiment of the South Korean people, the more attention the issue received, the harder it would be to raise money for North Korean food assistance.
Mr. Wong said that from an humanitarian point of view, South Koreans wanted to help the North Korean people. However, in the past, North Korea had diverted aid to its military forces, and as long as that practice continued, the National Assembly would be reluctant to join an international assistance effort. If it was clear that the food would go to the starving people in North Korea, they would seriously consider joining the effort.
A correspondent asked if the delegation had any information about Hwang Jang Yop, the high North Korean official who allegedly defected to South Korea and was currently in its embassy in Beijing. Mr. Lee said that today they had heard that the South Korean Minister for Foreign Affairs would meet with the Chinese Foreign Minister in Singapore and discuss the matter. They hoped the outcome would be positive.
Asked what actions the delegation expected the United Nations to take concerning the Taiwan-North Korea deal, Mr. Suh said they would be meeting with Deputy-Secretary-General for Sustainable Development, Nitin Desai, and they hoped he would recognize that the transfer would not only cause problems for South Korea, but for the entire international community. The delegation would ask the United Nations to give due attention to the matter and take necessary measures, if possible. The deal would also be an interesting and important case for the General Assembly's special session on environmental issues in June.
Mr. Wong said that the Commission on Sustainable Development had approved a resolution stating that nuclear waste should not be transferred to a country that was not equipped to safely dispose of it. The Taiwanese intended to operate against that international consensus, and the delegation was going to appeal to the Commission on Sustainable Development take a clear position on the matter.
Republic of Korea Press Conference - 4 - 14 February 1997
A correspondent asked if the National Assembly would link the KEDO programme with the transfer of nuclear waste. Mr. Suh said if the deal went through, the National Assembly would have difficulty approving the Government's request to finance the KEDO programme. Mr. Lee added that members of the ruling and opposition parties had received many calls and letters protesting the transfer. Therefore, they could not easily consent to the appropriations bill for the KEDO programme. Mr. Wong said the members of the delegation were concerned that their constituents would not allow them to vote for the appropriations bill for the KEDO arrangement.
Asked with whom they met in Washington, Mr. Suh said the delegation had met with Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and various officials from the State Department, National Security Council, Department of Energy, and Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
A correspondent asked if a United Nations representative, officially or unofficially, had indicated to the delegation that the Organization would not get involved in the deal. Mr. Suh said that, unfortunately, the Commission on Sustainable Development and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) could only make recommendations, which were not mandatory. The delegation would ask if those decisions could be made mandatory in the coming months.
Asked if the delegation would take the matter to the Security Council, of which South Korea was currently a member, Mr. Cho said they would first like to settle the matter through quiet diplomacy. If that route failed, then they would consider going to the Security Council. Mr. Suh added that they felt that the deal was not good for Taiwan either, and the delegation hoped the Taiwanese government would not approve the agreement.
A correspondent pointed out that Taiwan was not a United Nations Member State. Mr. Wong said the delegation was concerned with Taiwan's position in the international community and did not want to see Taiwan become further isolated. The delegation hoped the matter could be settled before the transfer became subject to international public opinion and damaged relations between Taiwan and South Korea.
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