By Kim Tae-gyu
Staff Reporter


The United States says it sold 69 tons of natural uranium fluoride, which can be enriched to build nuclear bombs, to South Korea. But no institute in South Korea says that it has the material.

The U.S. Department of Commerce recently reported on its Internet site (www.commerce.gov) that the country exported 68.693 tons of natural uranium fluoride to Korea last July for $24 million, or $349 per ton.

However, the Korean government flatly rebuffed any possibility of the deal as the state-sponsored Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP) likewise claims.

``We have no reason to purchase uranium fluoride since we have no ability to enrich the substance. Without enrichment capability, it is useless,’’ KHNP official Lee Seung-chul said.

Uranium fluoride, sometimes called uranium hexafluoride, refers to the compound used in the uranium enrichment process to produce fuel for nuclear reactors or weapons.

``We think the Department of Commerce may have made an error and already asked the U.S. government to correct the wrong data,’’ Lee said.

He claimed the hefty price tag of $349 a ton does also not make sense because the international market price of uranium fluoride was between $30 and $40 a ton last year.

In fact, the Department of Commerce data shows the price stood at $47 for France, $36 for the Netherlands and $37 for the United Kingdom.

Professor Hwang Yong-seok of Seoul National University concurs.

``South Korea has no facilities to enrich natural uranium fluoride. I do not think the government made a deal to acquire the material in this climate,’’ Hwang said.

When contacted, the U.S. Embassy in Seoul said it would conduct investigations on the issue, which it said would take a considerable span of time.

voc200@koreatimes.co.kr