IAEA says N Korea nuclear programme cause for ‘serious concern’

UN watchdog chief notes continuing signs of nuclear activity in North Korea are ‘deeply regrettable’.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has said North Korea’s nuclear programme is continuing despite United Nations sanctions and remains “a cause for serious concern” with negotiations on denuclearisation stalled for more than two years. “The continuation of the DPRK’s nuclear programme is a clear violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions and is deeply regrettable,” Rafael Grossi, the IAEA’s director-general told a news conference after a meeting with the Vienna-based agency’s board of governors. North Korea is officially known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Grossi added that the IAEA was intensifying its readiness “to play its essential role in verifying North Korea’s nuclear programme”.