Letter from G.F. Kunadze to S.A. Mikhailov

Ministry of

Foreign Affairs

of the Russian Federation

16.06.93 695/1uatr-ns

TO THE DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF THE INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS AND EXTERNAL ECONOMIC RELATIONS COMMITTEE OF THE SUPREME SOVIET OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION S.A. MIKHAILOV

Esteemed Sergei Andreevich,

Responding to a series of concrete questions, raised in your letter 73-1631 dated 3.06.93 we would like to relate the following:

1. Reaction of the D[emocratic] P[eople’s] R[epublic] K[orea] to our decision to suspend cooperation in the sphere of nuclear energy was reserved. The Korean side expressed regret on this account in general terms.
2. As one knows, the North Korean side has for a long time evaded the repayment of its debt before Russia. Our decision about the suspension of cooperation in the nuclear sphere did not introduce new aspects into the Korean position.
3. In connection with the suspension of cooperation with the DPRK in sphere of nuclear energy, one could speak about “lost profit” for Russia, but not about direct economic loss. In particular, our possible losses would amount to: 185 thousand dollars as a result of the refusal to supply nuclear fuel to Pyongyang for the experimental reactor and 15 thousand dollars—for the post-warranty service of the North Korean cyclotron. One can also expect that the Korean side will continue to refuse to repay the debt of 1.75 million dollars for the exploratory work we have done in selecting the site for the N[uclear] P[ower] P[lant].

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4. In accordance with the Decree No. 312 of the President R[ussian] F[ederation] dated 27 March 1992 “About the control of export from the Russian Federation of nuclear materials, equipment and technologies,” Russia conducts cooperation in the sphere of the peaceful use of nuclear energy only with those countries, whose nuclear activities have been placed under the I[nternational] A[tomic] E[nergy] A[gency]’s guarantees.
5. M[instry] F[oreign] A[ffairs] RF has no information to the effect that the D[emocratic] P[eople’s] R[epublic] K[orea] possesses nuclear weapons. At the same time, the findings of report by the External Intelligence Service of the RF “New Challenges after the ‘Cold War’: Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction” confirm that, in the course of a relatively long period, North Korea has been developing a military application program in the nuclear sphere, which is currently in an advanced state.

We have no information about alternative options of the USA’s reaction to the DPRK’s actions.

At the present time MFA RF together with other interested Russian agencies is working through a complex of possible actions of political and economic character, directed at the return of North Korea into the N[uclear] N[on] P[roliferation] T[reaty] and the prevention of the nuclear militarization of the North Korean regime. Concrete content of such measures will depend on the further development of the situation around the North Korean nuclear problem.

DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

G. KUNADZE