U.S. Reportedly Says Nuclear Pact at Risk

Senior Clinton administration officials are threatening to end a historic 1994 nuclear pact with North Korea if that country does not allow inspections of a suspicious underground construction site, the New York Times reports today. In the 1994 pact, North Korea promised to freeze its nuclear weapons program in exchange for billions of dollars of energy assistance. North Korean officials described the threat to end the agreement as nearly an act of war, the Times said. Former U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry is expected to arrive in Seoul today to discuss North Korean policy issues with officials and to collect South Korean views on Washington’s stance toward the North and Pyongyang’s refusal to allow verification of the site.