NSS Seoul 2012

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Overview

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Summary

The "2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit", which will be held in Seoul in March 2012, will be the largest summit in the security field that discusses international cooperative measures to protect nuclear materials and facilities from terrorist groups, with participation from more than 53 heads of state and international organizations. The main issues to be discussed at the Summit will be as follows.

  • Cooperative measures to combat the threat of nuclear terrorism
  • Protection of nuclear materials and related facilities
  • Prevention of illicit trafficking of nuclear materials

Background

Basic Objectives
The possibility of nuclear terrorism became a real threat after 9/11, which increased the importance of strengthening nuclear security to prevent nuclear materials from being misused by terrorist groups. There is a need to recognize the importance of nuclear security at the summit level and seek cooperation, as the threat of nuclear terrorism cannot be addressed by a single nation.

Background
President Obama stated in his 2009 Prague speech that nuclear terrorism is a serious threat to international security, and expressed his will to lead global efforts to protect nuclear materials as part of his plan to realize his vision of a "world free of nuclear weapons."
The first Nuclear Security Summit, the largest international meeting relating to the nuclear issue, was held in Washington in April 2010. The summit was attended by leaders from 47 states and 3 international organizations (UN, EU, IAEA), including the P5 nations (nuclear weapons states) and states not party to the NPT, such as India, Pakistan, and Israel. The leaders discussed plans to strengthen nuclear security by preventing the misuse of nuclear materials by non-state actors.
The Republic of Korea, as host of the second Nuclear Security Summit to be held in March 2012, will play a leading role in coordinating participating countries' views on key nuclear security issues and lead discussions on the drafting of the 'Seoul Communiqué,' which will be the final document of the Seoul Summit.
The selection of Korea as host of the 2012 Summit reflects the international community's recognition of its world-class nuclear technology, its compliance with NPT obligations and its exemplary use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. The hosting of the Nuclear Security Summit on the Korean peninsula will be highly significant given its implications within the context of denuclearization.

The Significance of the Hosting of the Summit in Seoul

Korea has established its status as an advanced country by securing the hosting of a whole range of international meetings in the economic, cultural, and sports fields including the hosting of the 2010 G20 Seoul Summit. The holding of the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit means that Korea has gained even greater standing in the international community in the security field as well. In addition, it is meaningful that Korea will play a leading role in establishing global governance in the security and political fields just as it played a significant role in the economic field through the hosting of the 2010 G20 Seoul Summit.

Participants

Heads of 53 states which participated in the 1st Washington Nuclear Security Summit. (Republic of Korea, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, UK, Ukraine, USA, Vietnam).

Heads of international organizations which participated in the Washington Summit (the UN, IAEA, and EU).

INTERPOL was added to the group of participants as agreed upon between the participating countries and international organizations.

Agenda Preparations

Sous-Sherpa Meeting (Seoul, Korea) June 27-28, 2011

The Seoul Sous-Sherpa Meeting was held to prepare for the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit with 120 (Sous-) Sherpas from 46 countries and four international organizations (UN, IAEA, EU, and INTERPOL) invited to Seoul Summit slated for March 2012.

The Sous-Sherpas consulted primarily on the major substance of the Seoul Communiqué, the result document of the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit.

The Sous-Sherpas reaffirmed the basic goals and principles on nuclear security agreed upon at the 2010 Washington Nuclear Security Summit.

 

Sherpa Meeting (Helsinki, Finland) October 4-5, 2011

The Sherpa Meeting focused discussions on the Seoul Communiqué, which was drafted by Korea as the host country of the Seoul Summit. Deputy Minister Kim Bong-hyun presented five principles underlying the drafting of the Seoul Communiqué: (1) placing nuclear security at the center of the discussion; (2) ensuring the continuity of the Washington Nuclear Security Summit, while at the same time, making new progress; (3) ensuring the voluntary nature of national commitments and participation; (4) opting against the creation of a new regime; and (5) respecting President Obama’s vision to secure all vulnerable nuclear material in a four-year lockdown.

The Sherpas focused on including comprehensive and action-oriented measures in the Seoul Communique under the common understanding that the Communiqué needs to translate the political commitments on nuclear security agreed upon at the Washington Summit into actionable plans. Key nuclear security measures under discussion among Sherpas include: ▲ securing high-risk nuclear materials such as highly enriched uranium and plutonium; ▲ enhancing the protection of nuclear facilities; ▲ creating synergy between nuclear security and nuclear safety; ▲ preventing the illicit trafficking of nuclear materials; ▲ tightening the management of radioactive materials that could be used in dirty bombs; ▲ encouraging states to join and ratify the International Convention on Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism and the Convention of the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials, the two key nuclear security-related conventions; ▲ bolstering the global nuclear security architecture such as the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism, G8 Global Partnership, and the UNSC 1540 Committee, and ▲ expanding support for the IAEA’s nuclear security activities.

The Sherpas held in-depth discussion on addressing the issue of nuclear safety at the Seoul Summit, including ways to incorporate the interface between nuclear security and nuclear safety in the Seoul Communiqué, based on the lessons learned from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in March 2011.

The Helsinki Sherpa Meeting considerably narrowed the differences in views between participating countries on the structure, direction, and content of the Seoul Communiqué.

 

Eminent Persons Group Meeting (Seoul, Korea) November 29, 2012

The Group was established to support the success of the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit in 2012, held a meeting in Seoul at the invitation of President Lee Myung-bak.
At the meeting, the Group expressed its strong support for the Seoul Summit and adopted the Joint Statement (full document) containing ten provisions embodying six suggestions for the successful hosting of the Seoul Summit.

The Group highlighted the following six items of advice for the success of the Seoul Summit.

First, The Seoul Summit should demonstrate tangible progress in implementing the commitments made at the Washington Summit

Second, The Seoul Summit should propose a practical vision and new concrete measures by setting them out in the “Seoul Communiqué”

Third, Each participating state undertakes to make significant contributions to the objective of strengthening nuclear security regime

Fourth, The Seoul Summit should contribute to enhancing the public confidence in nuclear energy, which has been undermined since the Fukushima nuclear accident, and actively seek ways to address the threat of radiological terrorism

Fifth, The Seoul Summit should strengthen international and regional cooperation to prevent the illicit transfer of nuclear materials

Sixth, The Seoul Summit should build upon the momentum generated by the Washington Nuclear Security Summit by making efforts to hold a third Summit

 

Sherpa Meeting (New Delhi, India) January 16-17, 2012

The Sherpa Meeting discussed ongoing preparations for the Seoul event, including the text of the Seoul Communiqué; the Summit agenda; and protocols.

As chair, Korea had extended the invitation to three additional countries, namely, Denmark, Lithuania and Azerbaijan, to the Seoul Summit.

With regard to the Seoul Communiqué, the participating countries, after in-depth discussions, reached agreement on the majority of the controversial matters, such as minimizing highly enriched uranium. They agreed to finalize the text during the time left until the Summit in preparation of its formal adoption at the Seoul event.

The Seoul Communiqué is expected to consist of a comprehensive action plan aimed at preventing nuclear and radioactive terrorism, including efforts to minimize highly enriched uranium, plutonium and other nuclear materials; safe management of nuclear and radioactive materials; protection of nuclear facilities; prevention of illicit trafficking of nuclear and radioactive materials; nexus between nuclear security and safety; nuclear detection, protection of sensitive nuclear information and promotion of nuclear security culture; promotion of the universality of key nuclear security instruments; and increased activities by the International Atomic Energy Agency and other international organizations, as well as by multilateral consultative mechanisms related to nuclear security.

The ROK delegation explained the ongoing preparations for the Seoul Summit, including its schedule, program, agenda, protocols and other administrative matters, and the venue lay-out; and requested participating countries’ active contribution to making the Seoul Summit a success, such as through the attendance of their leaders. Also, the organizing committees of the two pre-summit events -- the Seoul Nuclear Industry Summit and the Seoul Nuclear Security Symposium -- gave a briefing on the events.

The Sherpas plan to meet again in Seoul right before the Summit for final preparations for the event.

Expected Outcomes

The 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit will serve as an opportunity for Korea to earn international recognition on its enhanced status following its hosting of the G20 Seoul Summit in 2010. Moreover, the holding of the Summit in the year 2012, which will see major changes in regional leadership, will help secure the stability of the Korean peninsula by bringing global leaders to discuss cooperative measures to strengthen nuclear security.
In addition, the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit will serve as a forum for discussion not only of the issue of nuclear security, but also of its interface with nuclear safety which became the focus of renewed attention following the Fukushima nuclear accident.