North Korea to Announce Yongbyon Nuclear Activity Freeze

North Korea is planning to proclaim it will freeze its nuclear activities at Yongbyon during the second six-way talks to be held in Beijing on February 25, reported the Asahi Shimbun from Washington on February 5.

The Japanese daily quoted a U.S. government official saying that North Korea is planning a freeze which includes suspension of the 5000kW graphite reactor and reprocessing facilities at Yongbyon.

North Korea will also reportedly reveal its willingness to allow IAEA inspectors, banished on December 2002, to return to the country and to put the removed cameras back into place at the graphite reactor, reprocessing facilities, and the storing place for spent fuel rods. Asahi Shimbun also reported that North Korea was considering implementing these promises immediately after the conclusion of the six-way talks.

The newspaper added that it appears North Korea will demand a suitable compensation in return, namely, the resumption of heavy oil shipments.

However, the opinion that “the oil shipments were suspended because North Korea broke away from the Agreed Framework and began its uranium enrichment program. It is difficult to resume supplying the oil just because North Korea is freezing nuclear activities at Yongbyon while refusing to admit having an uranium enrichment program underway” is prominent within the U.S. government, the Asahi Shimbun pointed out.

parkwj@donga.com