Pyongyang, North Korea
After months of delay, North Korea has invited U.N. nuclear inspectors to oversee the shutting down of its nuclear reactor. The turnaround came this week, after the U.S. released about $25 million frozen in North Korean accounts in Macau. Under a February deal, North Korea had promised to shut down the Yongbyon reactor by mid-April, but it missed that deadline because of the dispute over the frozen funds. “We’re going to really have to pick up the pace if we’re to get back on our timeline,” said U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill. The International Atomic Energy Agency said it would send inspectors to North Korea next week, and that the reactor could be shut down by mid-July.
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