What did Jeong Yeon-doo and Massimo Aparo discuss in Seoul?

Jeong Yeon-doo briefed Massimo Aparo on recent developments on the Korean Peninsula and South Korea’s efforts to pursue peaceful coexistence with North Korea. They also discussed ways for Seoul and the IAEA to cooperate on North Korea’s nuclear issue.

What has prevented the IAEA from monitoring North Korea’s nuclear activities on the ground?

Pyongyang ended cooperation with the IAEA and expelled its inspectors in 2009. North Korea had already withdrawn from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in 2003, and monitoring had been disrupted before that withdrawal.

Senior S. Korean, IAEA officials discuss cooperation on N. Korean nuclear issues

Q: Why is the IAEA maintaining readiness to verify North Korea’s nuclear program?

Massimo Aparo said the North Korean nuclear issue is an important agenda item for the IAEA and explained that the agency is maintaining enhanced readiness for verification. The IAEA has been unable to conduct on-site verification since North Korea expelled its inspectors in 2009.

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Summary

Jeong Yeon-doo met Massimo Aparo in Seoul on Wednesday to discuss cooperation on North Korean nuclear issues. Jeong briefed Aparo on the situation on the Korean Peninsula and South Korea’s efforts for peaceful coexistence with North Korea. Aparo backed Seoul’s diplomatic efforts and said the issue remains important to the IAEA, which is maintaining readiness to verify North Korea’s nuclear program.

Key Facts

The IAEA has highlighted North Korea’s nuclear issue through reports issued by its director general.
The two sides agreed to strengthen communication and cooperation on the North Korean nuclear issue.
The IAEA has not had inspectors in North Korea since Pyongyang ended cooperation and expelled them in 2009.
North Korea withdrew from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in 2003.
The IAEA has been unable to conduct on-site verification of North Korea’s nuclear activities.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 7, 2026 1:45 pm KST

Jeong Yeon-doo, vice foreign minister for diplomatic strategy and intelligence, right, shakes hands with Massimo Aparo, the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) deputy director general and head of its Department of Safeguards, ahead of their meeting in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs

South Korea's deputy nuclear envoy met with the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) deputy director general in Seoul on Wednesday to discuss ways to cooperate on North Korean nuclear issues, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

Jeong Yeon-doo, vice foreign minister for diplomatic strategy and intelligence, briefed Massimo Aparo, IAEA deputy director general and head of IAEA's safeguards department, on the recent situation on the Korean Peninsula and Seoul's efforts for peaceful coexistence with North Korea, according to the ministry.

Jeong noted that the IAEA has been drawing international attention to the North Korean nuclear issue, including through reports issued by the IAEA director general, the ministry said.

Aparo expressed support for South Korea's diplomatic efforts to promote peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, and stressed that the North Korean nuclear issue is an important agenda item for the IAEA.

He also explained the IAEA's efforts to maintain enhanced readiness for verification of North Korea's nuclear program, according to the ministry.

"The two sides agreed to strengthen communication and cooperation on the North Korean nuclear issue," the ministry said in a release.

The IAEA has not had inspectors on the ground in North Korea since Pyongyang ended cooperation with the agency and expelled its inspectors in 2009.

Pyongyang withdrew from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in 2003, while IAEA monitoring had already been disrupted before then. The agency has since been unable to conduct on-site verification of the North's nuclear activities.

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