Publication

Freeze and Verify: Ending Fissile Material Production on the Korean Peninsula

Progress towards denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula critically depends on finding a way to constrain and roll back the nuclear programme of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. A freeze on its fissile material production would be the first essential step, provided that it can be made effectively verifiable. This requirement presents a significant technical as well as political challenge. This study proposes an arrangement for a verified freeze of fissile material production through a new mechanism to verify the suspension of all production activities in the early stages of the denuclearization process. It would also provide a mechanism for building confidence and trust and create a path to expanding the verification programme. In the longer run, this freeze verification arrangement would ensure that all material, military as well as civilian, will be accounted for and placed under appropriate safeguards.