Provision of Light-Water Reactors to NK Reasonable
By Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporter
The former top U.S. nuclear negotiator said that the provision of light-water reactors to North Korea can be reasonable for the denuclerization of North Korea.
Robert Gallucci, former assistant secretary of state who signed the Agreed Framework with North Korea in 1994, said in a Seoul hotel Monday that it may be wise to give the light-water reactors to North Korea if the communist country wants them in return for giving up the nuclear weapons program.
He confessed there is opposition to the provision, particularly by the U.S. hardliners who say North Korea will be able to produce hundreds of plutonium per year with light-water reactors alone. The hawks claim that the plutonium can be used for making nuclear weapons.
But Gallucci said the light-water reactors are meaningless in terms of North Korea's energy plan because the construction will take much longer time and higher cost than other energy resources and North Korea's electricity network cannot guarantee safety.
Gallucci said despite the problems, it is ok to give the light-water reactors to North Korea if the Stalinist nation seriously sticks to them for denuclearization.
His argument is that light-water reactors will make North Korea dependent on the international community, thus raise transparency of North Korea's nuclear facilities.
Currently, North Korea uses natural uranium as fuel for its graphite-moderated reactors so North Korea doesn't need to rely on the international community for its fuel.
But the light-water reactors require enriched fuels, which makes North Korea dependent on the international community, Gallucci added.
Gallucci also said that used fuel in case of graphite-moderated reactors can be reprocessed to produce proper plutonium for making nuclear weapons while plutonium produced in process of the light-water reactors is not ideal for nuclear weapons.
According to the September 19 agreement reached at the six-party talks, six nations discussed the provision of light-water reactors to North Korea at the right time.
But the United States maintains its position that the provision should come after the dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear facilities while North Korea prefers the provision first in return for the denuclearization.
Under the Agreed Framework, the United States and North Korea agreed North Korea's graphite-moderated reactors are replaced with light-water reactors (not capable of plutonium production) by 2003. In exchange, North Korea was to receive 500,000 tons of heavy fuel oils until the conversion of all the reactors.
But the agreement was not fulfilled.