US Reviewing North Korean Nuclear Records
According to US official Sung Kim, North Korea has handed over documentation which seems to disclose full details on its production of plutonium.
Mr Kim arrived back in Washington on May 12th, after having visited Pyongyang, North Korea's capital. He carried the documents - comprised of more than 18,000 pages - with him.
Uranium Enrichment Programme
Translation of the Korean language documents, said Kim, remained ongoing, but they seemed to be full. They do not, however, refer to the uranium enrichment programme that North Korea is alleged to be involved in.
Yongbyon Reactor
They do, though, detail events at North Korea's prime Yongbyon reactor.
Yongbyon was closed down in July 2007, but is believed to have produced material used during nuclear trials a year earlier.
"These [documents] are operating and production records for the five-megawatt reactor and the reprocessing plant in Yongbyon", Mr Kim advised the media yesterday.
Six-Nation Agreement
Last year, North Korea agreed with South Korea, Russia, China, Japan and the US to terminate its nuclear activities in exchange for international aid and the removal of sanctions imposed by the US.
The deal, however, failed over a disagreement concerning whether North Korea had disclosed the full extent of its nuclear work.
"Review of the operating records ... will be an important first step in the process of verifying that North Korea's declaration is complete and correct", a "fact sheet" produced by the US State Department stated, adding: "These documents will be examined thoroughly by a team of US verification and other experts."
Source - Armed Forces International's US Correspondent
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