South Korea has decided to establish a law aimed at better controlling the use of nuclear power and banning any attempts to develop nuclear weapons.

The Ministry of Science and Technology said Thursday the envisioned law would enhance the nation’s “nuclear transparency” and prevent awkward situations like those last year from recurring.

The Seoul government faced international embarassment last year after it confessed its scientists produced tiny amounts of plutonium in 1982 and enriched uranium in 2000, apparently without authorization and properly informing the International Atonomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The ministry said it plans to draft a bill for efficient nuclear control in March and present it to the National Assembly in May.