ROK SUPPORT PROGRAM AND ENHANCED COOPERATION WITH IAEA

The objective of the Member State Support Program (MSSP) is to improve and strengthen the international safeguards by transferring technology and expertise from Member States to the IAEA. In Korea, nuclear industry grows fast and related research has been actively developed. Safeguards R&D activities, however, was not very active. It was partly because of the narrow application fields, so the only small number of expert understands the concept and importance of the safeguards. In 2001, ROK concluded enhanced cooperation arrangement on the LWR with the Agency. Through the enhanced cooperation, both parties agreed to install remote monitoring system at the site and replace routine interim inspection with random interim inspection. This requested more roles of the ROK’s safeguards regulatory authority to maintain the preparedness(report and so on) with less IAEA inspections. At that time, ROK SP focused more on the improvement of the safeguards infrastructure in ROK. Following the ratification of the additional protocol in 2004, the first annual review meeting for the ROK SP was held in 2005. In 2008, IAEA drew the broader conclusion to ROK and it started implementing integrated safeguards to all the facilities in ROK. After long discussion on the enhanced cooperation under integrated safeguards, ROK and IAEA signed new arrangement on enhanced cooperation in the implementation of integrated safeguards. These different types of cooperation and safeguards implementation system affected ROK SP to cooperate on various new challenges not only for the improvement of the international safeguards but also the specific cases raised during the implementation in ROK. Since ROK joined MSSP in 1997, it has been performed 26 support programs. ROK supports the Agency through the experience and expertise in the field of safeguards. It includes not only technology development, but also human infrastructure development. We are now trying to extend the pool of experts who understand the safeguards concept. ROK continuously discuss with the Agency to find the areas which will be beneficial to both sides