20 NK Officials Related with Light-Water Reactor Arrived in South Korea

North Korea delegation, led by Kim Hui-Mun, Direct-General of the North Korea Light-Water Reactor Bureau, started its visit to the Uljin nuclear power plant in North Kyongsang on 17th. The 20 members are related with the NK reactor project.

The policy making high officials of the North arrived in the South by the Korea airline (KAL) via Beijing on 16th. They will stay for 2 weeks and look around the Uljin 3rd and 4th nuclear power plants, which are the models for the Light-Water reactors of North Korea. And then they will visit the training center of the Kori nuclear power plant in Gijang-Gun near Busan, and Doosan Heavy Industries in Changwon, Kyongsang-namdo.

It is noteworthy that North Korea permitted the official delegation to visit South Korea for the first time since it unilaterally postponed the 4th family reunion due in October because of South Korea`s defense alert related to the U.S. war against terrorism.

An official of Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) said, "North Korea delegation came to South Korea according to `The Training Protocol` between KEDO and North Korea, and will learn the training process for the NK reactors personnel." And he added, "After this visit, 290 NK technicians, who are chosen through the examination of KEDO, will be trained step by step in South Korea during the second half of next year."

And the official explained, "The cost for the NK delegation`s visit to South Korea is paid by KEDO, which is stated in the contract of Light-Water Reactor Supply. In the beginning, NK urged that it would train its operational personnel in the third country. But KEDO persuaded that the training for nuclear power plant requires many repetition on the same model, and finally they will be able to train in South Korea."

Young-Sik Kim spear@donga.com