The nation’s chief nuclear envoy says the U.S.-led Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Program could be applied to North Korea.

The CTR Program seeks to block the transfer of weapons of mass destruction from the former Soviet Union to other nations, groups or individuals. The program initiated by two U.S. senators is supported with funds from the international community.

During an international forum held Friday in Seoul, nuclear negotiator Chun Yung-woo said North Korean nuclear scientists need to be hired for peaceful work once their country fully dismantles its nuclear program. Chun said the North may have more than five-thousand nuclear scientists who could conduct peaceful research activities.

As possible CTR projects in North Korea, the nuclear envoy suggested that the Yongbyon reactor be transformed into an environment-friendly facility. Chun also proposed that the North could process natural uranium for export, while South Korea could hire North Koreans after building a new research center in Pyongyang.