2012 Nuclear Security Summit
The 2012 Nuclear Security Summit took place in Seoul, South Korea, on March 26–27 at the COEX Convention Center. It was the second summit, following the 2010 meeting in Washington, and aimed to strengthen international cooperation to protect nuclear materials and facilities from terrorists.
Fifty-eight leaders from 53 countries and four international organizations (the United Nations, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the European Union, and INTERPOL) attended. The discussions focused on nuclear terrorism threats, security preparedness, and how to implement previous commitments. The summit picked up many issues raised in 2010, such as reducing the use of highly enriched uranium (HEU), ratifying nuclear security conventions, strengthening information and transportation security, the role of the IAEA, preventing illicit nuclear trafficking, building a culture of security, and increasing international cooperation and assistance.
After the 2011 Fukushima disaster, Korea added radiological security and the nuclear security-safety interface to the agenda, acknowledging the need to address natural disasters and wartime experiences. The summit also covered protection against dirty bombs and sabotage, though some countries objected to adding these new items.
Background: The first summit was held in Washington, D.C., on April 12–13, 2010, after President Barack Obama’s Prague speech proposing a world without nuclear weapons and a plan to secure vulnerable materials within four years. Obama invited Korea to host the second summit, which Korea accepted.
Program and outcomes: The Seoul summit included a working dinner and plenaries with a working lunch. The resulting Seoul Communiqué built on the 2010 Washington Communiqué and identified 11 priority areas: global nuclear security architecture, the IAEA’s role, nuclear materials, radioactive sources, nuclear security and safety, transportation security, illicit trafficking, nuclear forensics, nuclear security culture, information security, and international cooperation.
The Seoul Communiqué set specific actions and timelines. It urged states to announce voluntary actions to minimize the use of HEU by the end of 2013 and to bring into effect the amended Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials by 2014. It emphasized addressing both nuclear security and safety for peaceful nuclear energy, and called for better protection of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste, along with measures to prevent radiological terrorism.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 12:10 (CET).