Construction begins on North Korea's first nuclear power plant

Brief

August 12, 2002

The United States, South Korea, Japan and the European Union have teamed up to build the two 1,000 MWe light water reactors at the Kumho power plant in North Korea. A ceremony marked the laying the first stone yesterday. The close to five billion dollar project dating back to 1994 is an offshoot of an agreement between Pyongyang and Washington in which North Korea agrees to comply with the Non Proliferation Treaty on nuclear weapons and allows the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect its facilities.