The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says it will send a team of inspectors to South Korea at the end of the month for the third time in recent weeks to further look into Seoul's past nuclear activities.

IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei announced the plan Tuesday in Seoul, where he is attending the 54th Pugwash Conference.

ElBaradei added that the agency's investigation on Seoul's past nuclear experiments was being carried out smoothly thanks to the South Korean government's cooperation.

The IAEA chief expressed anticipation that the agency's inspections in Seoul would be concluded by the end of next month.

Last month, two separate IAEA teams visited South Korea to investigate Seoul's acknowledgement that a group of scientists had produced small amounts of plutonium and enriched uranium in 1982 and in 2000 without the knowledge and approval of the government.