The United States yesterday said it foresees North Korea formally pledging to allow the removal of samples from its nuclear sites under a under a six-nation denuclearization agreement, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Nov. 24).
(Nov. 25) -
U.S. State Department envoy Sung Kim yesterday said the United States and North Korea have agreed on nuclear verification terms (Nicholas Kamm/Getty Images).
U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack's asserted that sampling "is part of the agreement," contradicting recent assertions by Pyongyang that it would only allow international inspectors to visit nuclear sites, speak with North Korean technical personnel and review related records.
North Korea's formal acceptance of sampling is expected during the next six-party meeting on the denuclearization process, McCormack said. The talks have been scheduled for Dec. 8 (Agence France-Presse I/Spacewar.com, Nov. 24).
U.S. State Department official Sung Kim yesterday reiterated that the sides were in full agreement, the Yonhap News Agency reported.
"We don't think there is any difference. There is no confusion between Washington and Pyongyang on what was agreed," he said. "The task now is to bring that bilateral agreement and understanding into the six-party process ... finalize and adopt that in the next round of the six-party talks" (Yonhap News Agency I/Individual, Nov. 25).
Kim is expected to discuss the upcoming meeting with South Korean officials on the sidelines of a nonproliferation policy conference this week, McCormack said Friday (Yonhap News Agency II/Yahoo!News, Nov. 24).
South Korea yesterday said it planned to resume steel shipments to North Korea in the near future, AFP reported. The Stalinist state is receiving the material as part of the denuclearization agreement (Agence France-Presse II/Spacewar.com, Nov. 24).
Meanwhile, the U.S. Congressional Research Service has noted warnings that a law providing federal assistance to North Korean defectors could undermine the denuclearization process, Yonhap reported yesterday.
"Critics say the legislation risks upsetting relations with South Korea and China, and ultimately the diplomatic unity necessary to make North Korea abandon its nuclear weapons program through the six-party talks," a CRS report states, referring to the North Korean Human Rights Act. Congress extended the law for four years last September, Yonhap reported (Yonhap News Agency III, Nov. 24).
Elsewhere, North Korean media reported new outings by the leader Kim Jong Il, who exercises total control over the country's nuclear policy, the Associated Press reported. The reports were possibly aimed at staving off speculation that Kim is experiencing health problems.
Kim visited a machine shop and soap production facility, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The reports did not provide dates for the trip, but said that Kim commended the plants for completing their required work "as of the end of October" (Associated Press/Google News, Nov. 24).