IAEA chief says to make all-out effort to stop North Korea's nuclear programme

Rafael Grossi (L), director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), speaks during a meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin (not pictured) at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, South Korea December 15, 2022. Jung Yeon-je/Pool via REUTERS

SEOUL (Reuters) -International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi said on Thursday the IAEA would make an all-out effort to stop North Korea's nuclear programme and preserve international non-proliferation, according to South Korea's presidential office.

Grossi, who is on a visit to Seoul, was responding to a request from South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol for the agency to join efforts to hold back what South Korea calls the North's nuclear provocations and achieve its denuclearisation by strengthening monitoring activity and readiness for inspection.