By Kang Hyun-kyung
A non-proliferation expert remained skeptical about the probability that North Korea will easily find a potential country interested in importing its enriched uranium technology.
Corey Hinderstein, vice president of the international programs at the Washington-based Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), said Friday that it wouldn’t be easy for North Korea to find potential clients seeking the technology.
“While potential customers are out there, they are very few. There are three or maybe four,” she said.
Hinderstein said Syria and Myanmar could be potential clients, clarifying the countries she mentioned are based on her own speculative analysis, not on intelligence briefings.
To prevent “dangerous deals,” the NTI expert called on the international community to make sure that “the systems are in place to ensure there is no attractiveness in the clandestine sale of enrichment program.”
Her remarks came amid China’s efforts to block discussion of the North’s uranium program at the U.N. Security Council (UNSC).
North Korea disclosed to a U.S. nuclear scientist a modern centrifuge facility last November, drawing international concern over the new program.
South Korea and the United States teamed up to push a drive to address the uranium program at the UNSC to send a clear message to the North that the program was a violation of existing agreements.
North Korean production of uranium-based nuclear weapons, in addition to reportedly existing plutonium-based ones, and its role in proliferation of nuclear technology are the allies’ two major concerns.
Analysts didn’t rule out the possibility that North Korea may export the technology to rogue states or non-state actors such as terrorists.
The allies’ effort at the UNSC, however, met a formidable challenge.
China, a decades-long benefactor of North Korea and veto-wielding UNSC permanent member, has opposed the council addressing the uranium program. It is reportedly worried about the possible adverse impact on the resumption of stalled nuclear talks.
China also insisted that there is no concrete evidence supporting such a program exists.
Hinderstein admitted that there is a great deal of uncertainty about the program, saying the world is blind to it.
“We don’ know how many centrifuges North Korea has and we don’t know how effectively they are operating. We also don’t know how good they are at the manufacturing side because this equipment requires quite a lot of high specification to operate correctly,” she said.
“I think that we have a situation where they are putting a lot of resources into figuring out how to construct gas centrifuges and how to operate them efficiently and how to do this in a way that gets results and the production of highly enrichment uranium.”
Despite the limited information on the uranium program, Hinderstein noted that the allies’ effort to address the issue at the UNSC is in the right direction.
“I don’t think South Korea and the United States are exaggerating their concern about North Korea’s program because what we know now is that they have pursued it in a deliberate way,” she said.
“And what that means is that we can no longer just talk about the program. What it means is that even if we solve the issue, we still now have the uranium program as an issue. So we have to address these both in tandem.”