New | North Korea has world's worst security for nuclear materials: report

North Korea ranked lowest in the world when it comes to the security conditions of its nuclear materials, while China ranked sixth-lowest, revealed a survey published by a US non-profit group on Wednesday.

The Stalinist country had the worst security conditions for nuclear materials among the world’s 25 nations that possess 1kg or more of weapons-usable materials, showed the second edition of the Nuclear Materials Security Index.

North Korea scored 30 out of 100 points in the index by the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), a Washington-based group that seeks to curb the threat of nuclear terrorism, and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

“I view the index as a framework — grounded in solid data which should help inform our priorities globally in terms of securing nuclear material and preventing catastrophic terrorism,” explained Sam Nunn, NTI’s chief executive officer and co-chairman.

For the survey, the two groups analysed quantities and sites of nuclear materials, current security measures, participation in international legal agreements, domestic commitments to meet international obligations and risk of nuclear theft.

The lack of reliable information on North Korea’s nuclear programme complicated research efforts, explained NTI.

The secretive state ranked below average on most indicators including control procedures, voluntary commitments, international assurances, safeguards adherence, political stability and effective governance.