EU Statement at the IAEA Board of Governors on DPRK, 9 September 2025

Chair, 

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union.Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Republic of Moldova, San Marino and Ukraine align themselves with this statement.

The EU thanks the Director General and the Secretariat for the latest report on the application of safeguards in the DPRK.

The EU condemns the DPRK’s unlawful and destabilising actions that undermine regional and international peace and security. We urge the DPRK to comply with its obligations under UN Security Council resolutions and abandon all its nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, its ballistic missile programmes and its existing nuclear programmes, in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner. 

The DPRK cannot and will not have the status of a nuclear weapon state, or any other special status. This was clearly reiterated through the joint statement of 83 states and the EU at the NPT PrepCom in New York last May. Russia’s shift of position on the denuclearisation of the DPRK is irresponsible and inconsistent with its Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) obligations. The DPRK must return to compliance with the NPT and the IAEA Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, and bring into force an Additional Protocol. 

We remain deeply concerned about the ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ Treaty between the DPRK and Russia, which includes a reference to cooperation on nuclear energy. We call on Russia to abide by its obligations under the NPT. Any transfer of nuclear or ballistic missile-related technology from Russia to the DPRK would be another serious violation of UN Security Council Resolutions. 

We also condemn in the strongest possible terms the expanding military cooperation between the DPRK and Russia, as outlined in the recent report of the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT). This includes the DPRK’s deployment of troops and the transfer of arms to Russia, in particular ballistic missiles, in direct support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. We call on the DPRK and Russia to immediately cease these activities, which are a flagrant violation of UN Security Council Resolutions.

Chair,

The DPRK’s recurrent statements that it intends to increase its nuclear arsenal are deeply worrisome. Our concern is amplified by the DPRK’s ongoing nuclear activities, as reflected in the latest DG’s report, especially the continued operation of the 5MW(e) reactor and the Light Water Reactor, the indicators consistent with a reprocessing campaign at the Radiochemical Laboratory at Yongbyon, the expanded operation of uranium enrichment facilities at Kangson and Yongbyon, and the possible construction of an additional one.  We are also concerned about the safety of DPRK’s Light Water Reactor and we regret that the Agency continues to lack necessary information to make an assessment. The continued preparedness of the Punggye-Ri testing facilities to support a nuclear test remains deeply troubling. 

We urge the DPRK to refrain from testing nuclear weapons and to stop its ballistic missile launches which are in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, and to reaffirm the moratorium on long-range ballistic missile testing and nuclear tests. The DPRK must sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), without further delay or preconditions.

All UN Member States, especially members of the Security Council, must ensure the full implementation of UN Security Council resolutions. We stress that UN sanctions remain fully in place.

Chair,

The EU reiterates its call on the DPRK to return to diplomacy and to engage in meaningful discussions with all relevant parties to build a basis for sustainable peace and security and to take steps aimed at pursuing the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. This includes the IAEA’s return to the DPRK. The EU stands ready to support any such efforts.

We express our appreciation for the IAEA’s monitoring of the DPRK’s nuclear activities, and its readiness to engage with the DPRK, including on the issue of nuclear safety. 

The EU requests the Director General to keep the Board of Governors informed of any developments and to maintain this item on its agenda.

Thank you, Chair.