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North Korea may close Yongbyon

P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE: North Korea has hinted at the possibility of "suspending" operations at the Yongbyon nuclear facility following progress towards the resolution of a key financial issue. Due to the impasse, Pyongyang had earlier declined to shut down the complex by April 14, the deadline set in the February 13 multilateral accord.

North Korea demands that it receive $25 millions frozen at a Macau-based bank at the behest of the U.S. on the ground that it was "tainted" by Pyongyang's alleged recourse to money laundering and currency counterfeiting. The resolution of the issue was included in the package of measures that six nations — the two Koreas, China, the U.S., Japan, and Russia — had agreed upon to set the stage for Yongbyon shutdown. It should lead to dismantlement, the stated objective being North Korea's nuclear disarmament. The Ministry said "work is now under way" to transfer the money to a bank in another country. "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea [DPRK] will immediately [after receiving the amount] invite a working-level delegation of the International Atomic Energy Agency and have an in-depth discussion with the U.S. on the measures to be taken after the suspension of the nuclear facility."

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