1. Mr. Park Il, Director-General for Nonproliferation and Nuclear Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, visited Vienna, Austria, from February 1 to 3. During the visit, the Director-General met with officials of the Secretariat of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and discussed key issues concerning non-proliferation and nuclear energy, including major nuclear non-proliferation issues, the safety of nuclear energy such as the issue of the contaminated water at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, the IAEA’s Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action (ZODIAC) initiative, and nuclear security.

2. The two sides agreed to step up communication and cooperation on the North Korean nuclear issue and other major issues regarding nuclear non-proliferation.

3. The Korean side mentioned that the Korean government will contribute 1 million U.S. dollars to the ZODIAC initiative established by the IAEA to respond effectively to global health crises such as COVID-19.

° The IAEA side extended special appreciation to the Korean government for its decision to provide 1 million U.S. dollars, and the two sides agreed to hold consultations on concrete cooperative projects.

4. The two sides agreed to continue reinforcing Korea-IAEA cooperation in the area of nuclear safety and discussed the issue of the contaminated water at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.

5. The two sides, taking note of the achievements in cooperation in the nuclear security area, agreed to hold the policy consultation on a regular basis for more systematic cooperation. The IAEA side highly commended the Korean government for playing a leading role, including continuing its financial contributions to the IAEA Nuclear Security Fund and serving as the chair of the IAEA International Conference on Nuclear Security in 2016. It went on to voice hope to continue expanding cooperation with Korea.

6. The bilateral meeting with the IAEA carries significance in that Korea had a face-to-face meeting with the world’s most prominent international organization in the area of nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear energy despite the COVID-19 situation. The government will continue necessary diplomatic efforts to carry out substantial cooperation with the IAEA in 2021.