The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) criticised South Korea Friday for its four-year secret programme of enriching of weapons-grade uranium and production of small amounts of plutonium. The IAEA Council of Governors (composed of representatives of 35 nations) characterized the South Korean experiments as a "reason for serious concern". At the same time however the Council stated that South Korean had not continued in the work that breached the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. After long negotiations with South Korea, the U.N. nuclear watchdog decided against sending the case of the country's nuclear experiments to the U.N. Security Council. IAEA inspectors will continue to inspect South Korean nuclear facilities. South Korea has agreed to a series of intensive inspections of its nuclear facilities after it admitted in September that its scientists produced small amounts of plutonium in 1982 and enriched uranium in 2000 without reporting it to the nuclear watchdog. South Korea had broken international nuclear safeguards but Seoul's secret uranium- and plutonium-making activities were experimental and it has cooperated with IAEA during the inspections, an IAEA report released in early November said. South Korea's ambassador to the United Nations Chang Bom Cho expressed satisfaction with the IAEA declaration, telling journalists: "We are returning to normal." -
