South Korea is trying to save the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organisation (KEDO) project to build two 1000MWe BWR reactors in North Korea. The government strongly opposes the plan by the new US administration to build coal-generated plants instead.
President Bush has been advised to consider possible revisions to the nuclear accord, saying it poses more risk than reward. The US government is now claiming that construction of the BWRs will lead to nuclear weapons proliferation. Ironically the US change in policy may provoke North Korea into reviving its project to construct graphite-moderated reactors, which are capable of producing weapons-grade plutonium.
A South Korean government official said: “Our government’s stance is that replacement would contradict the 1994 Agreed Framework struck between the North and the United States. Washington would not push ahead with the replacement if South Korea and Japan do not support it.”
