IAEA Director General Grossi to Miss Korea Nuclear Energy Ministerial Conference; Notice Comes Two Days Before Opening

Reason for Absence to Be Announced in Video Opening Address

Yonhap News Agency

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi notified organizers that he would not attend just two days before the opening of the Nuclear Energy Ministerial Conference in Korea.

According to the Ministry of Science and ICT on October 26, Director General Grossi had been scheduled to attend the IAEA Nuclear Energy Ministerial Conference, which will be held in Songdo, Incheon, from October 27 to 29, but said on October 25 that he would be unable to participate.

As a result, a joint press conference scheduled for October 27 with Bae Kyunghoon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT, was also canceled.

The IAEA Nuclear Energy Ministerial Conference is a major high-level policy meeting that discusses the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and is generally held every four years. First held in Paris, France, in 2005, the conference has since been hosted by China, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. This year, Korea will host the sixth meeting.

An official from the Ministry of Science and ICT said, "The IAEA has not given specific reasons for Director General Grossi's absence and is scheduled to announce them in a video opening address on October 27."

Meanwhile, Director General Grossi tied for second place in the sixth preliminary ballot held on October 21 for candidates for the next UN secretary-general.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.