North Korea Readying for Inspections, South Says

North Korea appears to be preparing to allow International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors back into the country for the first time in years, the South Korean National Intelligence Service said today (see GSN, April 25).

The South Korean parliament’s intelligence committee released a statement, based on a report issued today by the spy agency, indicating the detection of notable activity at North Korea’s Yongbyon nuclear reactor, Agence France-Presse reported.  Such activity was first reported last week (see GSN, April 17).

“A new small building, which is believed to be (accommodation) facilities, was constructed behind a reactor at Yongbyon in March and April, along with repair work on its slip road,” according to the committee.  “Signs of rolling the land have been detected around a facility for the storage of nuclear waste since mid-March.”

“We believe such activities are part of preparations for the stay of IAEA inspectors,” the panel added.

Under a February denuclearization agreement reached at six-nation negotiations, Pyongyang was by April 14 to have closed the reactor and readmitted the nuclear inspectors.  That has yet to occur, as North Korea waits to collect $25 million in frozen funds (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, April 26).

The senior White House adviser on North Korea met yesterday with the country’s U.N. delegation to press Pyongyang to move ahead with the deal, the Associated Press reported.

Victor Cha conducted a rare direct meeting with North Korean officials in New York to deliver the message that the Bush administration has finite patience in the nuclear standoff, a senior U.S. official said.

“There’s no ultimatum,” the official said.  “But there is a degree of frustration among all parties” (Foster Klug, Associated Press/Centre Daily Times, April 25).

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