N. Korea Agrees With Seoul to Mutual Nuclear Arms Inspections by June 10
North Korea agreed Saturday for the first time to a timetable for inspections of its suspected nuclear arms facilities, South Korean officials said.
The agreement between rivals North and South Korea to hold mutual inspections by June 10 was viewed as a major step forward in their reconciliation efforts.
The south had originally demanded an earlier deadline for the inspections, but relented to break an impasse.
A joint statement issued after Saturday’s five-hour talks at the border village of Panmunjom said the two sides agreed to create a joint commission that will draw up plans for banning nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula. The commission is to hold its first meeting Thursday.
The two sides agreed that the first inspections would be held within 80 days, or by June 10, officials said.
“By setting the boundary of the schedule for the nuclear inspection . . . the resolution of nuclear problems on the Korean Peninsula is within sight,” South Korea’s Unification Ministry said in a statement.
Western intelligence reports say that North Korea is nearing the capability to produce nuclear arms.
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