2012 Nuclear Security Summit

The summit series discusses international cooperative measures to protect nuclear materials and facilities from terrorist groups.

In the aftermath of the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, Korea added a new issues of radiological security and the nuclear security-safety interface to the agenda from the natural disasters since World War II (1939-45) and Korean War (1950-53).

The Washington summit had focused on nuclear terrorism with explosive nuclear devices, perceiving that as the biggest threat to international security after 9/11 attacks in New York City in 2001, 3/11 train bombings in Madrid in 2004, and 7/7 bombings in London in 2005.

The Seoul Communiqué sets out the following specific actions in the above 11 areas:[10] The Seoul Communiqué provides important timelines for advancing nuclear security objectives, such as the target year (end of 2013) for states to announce voluntary actions on minimizing the use of HEU and the goal year (2014) for bringing the amended CPPNM into effect.

It also sets out specific measures to prevent radiological terrorism, an issue only briefly touched upon at the Washington Summit.

2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit Plenary
Host state (South Korea)
Participating states
First-time participating states
  • Azerbaijan
  • Denmark
  • Gabon
  • Hungary
  • Lithuania
  • Romania
European Union states represented by the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission only
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak speaks to the media during a press conference after the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit at the Convention and Exhibition Center (COEX) in Seoul, South Korea, 27 March 2012.