A Nuclear North Korea: Nonproliferation Issues and Beyond

North Korea’s defiant rocket launch last December and the third nuclear test last week overshadowed the effort made by the international community to halt the development of its nuclear weapons program and prevent further nuclear proliferation. North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs are claimed to target the US. What made Kim Jung-Un, the new leader; follow his autocratic father’s path and push ahead to further develop North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs? Do the programs have significant implications for missile-defense programs in South Korea, Japan, and the US? May a nuclear North Korea trigger military cooperation between South Korea and Japan, the two allies of the US in Northeast Asia?

Nuclear Spent Fuel and Waste Management

The issue of nuclear spent fuel has to be resolved in order to sustain the use of nuclear energy. Increasing stockpiles of nuclear spent fuel may pose a devastating threat if they are not properly handled. Thus, those countries with advanced nuclear energy programs should take charges in developing safe technologies to reduce and recycle nuclear spent fuel, or permanently dispose of it. This panel will cover technical issues of nuclear spent fuel as well as the political issues that occasionally pose obstacles or cause problems for interim storage of spent fuel, disposal of high level waste, and other various options. It should be noted that the economic aspects of the various options will also be discussed.

Nuclear Safety and Terrorism

Nuclear safety has always been referred to in terms of natural disaster or human failure. Through these incidents, nuclear safety capabilities have been significantly enhanced. However, in recent years, the possibility of terrorist attacks on nuclear facilities has become a serious threat to nuclear safety and security. In this panel, discussions will cover possible terrorist attacks on nuclear facilities, anti-terrorism systems to protect nuclear facilities, and global cooperation in order to prevent such disaster.