By Ryu Jin
Staff Reporter

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will send its inspectors to South Korea again sometime this week for further investigations into the nation’s nuclear experiments, sources said Tuesday.

The inspectors from the world’s nuclear watchdog will stay here for about a week to look into the two controversial laboratory tests that occurred in 1982 and in 2000, they said.

The inspectors will take environmental samples at the sites and interview relevant scientists.

Another IAEA inspection team visited South Korea early this month to investigate the experiments that led to the production of tiny amounts of plutonium and enriched uranium, the two main types of fissile material used in nuclear weapons.

South Korea on Tuesday downplayed the first assessment given by the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog on alleged mistakes in its nuclear activities over the past two decades, dismissing the expression of ``serious concern’’ by the agency’s chief as a normal cliche.

``It is a term commonly used when things of this kind occur,’’ Science and Technology Minister Oh Myung told reporters before attending a Cabinet meeting.

Oh also said he sees ``no problem’’ with the new revelation made at an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) assembly in Vienna that Korean scientists produced 150 kilograms of uranium metal in the early 1980s so that part of it could be used in nuclear enrichment experiments in 2000.

``It was done 20 years ago and all the facilities have been dismantled,’’ he said.

Speaking to the IAEA board of governors on Monday on nuclear activities recently revealed by Seoul, IAEA chief ElBaradei said that Seoul had recently acknowledged producing 150 kilograms of uranium metal at three facilities it had kept secret from his agency.

``A small amount’’ of this substance was later used in nuclear enrichment experiments using laser technology, ElBaradei told the board.

``It is a matter of serious concern that the conversion and enrichment of uranium and the separation of plutonium were not reported to the agency as required by the Safeguards Agreement,’’ said the IAEA chief.

He was referring to Seoul’s agreement with the IAEA aimed at preventing the diversion of nuclear resources to secret weapons programs. The Safeguards Agreement is required under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Repeating his government’s stance, South Korean delegate Cho Chang-Bom told reporters that the experiments involved only minute quantities of enriched uranium and plutonium and were performed by a small group of scientists ``without the knowledge and authorization of the government.’’ He said that with the revelations now public, South Korea harbored no more nuclear secrets.

Speaking to reporters after the closed-door morning session of the IAEA board of governors, ElBaradei said he hoped to quickly wrap up his investigation into South Korea’s experiments with two substances that could be used in nuclear weapons.

``We have a lot of work to do,’’ he said. ``I hope that we can finish by November, but if not, we will continue.’’

The IAEA will soon send a special team of inspectors to South Korea to check on alleged mishaps in past nuclear activities.

South Korea acknowledged this month that its scientists conducted a uranium enrichment experiment in 2000 and extracted a small amount of plutonium in 1982. Uranium and plutonium are two key ingredients for producing atomic weapons.

The IAEA will likely make a decision in the November meeting on whether to refer the case to the United Nations Security Council.

In an effort to win the support of its allies on the controversial nuclear experiments, South Korea’s Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon on Monday had successive telephone conversations with his counterparts in the United States, China and Japan.

In talks with U.S. State Secretary Colin Powell, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, Ban explained that the experiments had nothing to do with nuclear weapons.

Powell said he understood that the experiments were done by some scientists for academic purposes and had nothing to do with nuclear weapons, according to ministry officials.

In a similar conversation with Li, the Chinese foreign minister responded by saying he would instruct the Chinese delegation in Vienna, where the IAEA is headquartered, to work with South Korean representatives on the issue.

Kawaguchi, for her part, ``expressed understanding for South Korea’s position,’’ and also said she would instruct Japan’s delegation to the IAEA meeting to ``closely cooperate’’ with the South Korean delegation.

jinryu@koreatimes.co.kr