| The U.S. envoy in charge of seeking a diplomatic | | | | team is now in North Korea to supervise the |
| end to North Korea's nuclear weapons programs | | | | disabling of the Yongbyon complex. Hill has said |
| says Pyongyang has much more to do before | | | | the ultimate goal is to dismantle permanently this |
| punitive United Nations sanctions are lifted. As a | | | | and all other North Korean nuclear facilities. |
| U.S. team begins the process of disabling the | | | | Diplomats say the six-party process aims to |
| North's main nuclear complex, the governments | | | | transform the security structure of Northeast |
| involved in the nuclear negotiations are now | | | | Asia, including implementation of a permanent |
| preparing to receive a promised list of | | | | peace on the Korean peninsula. North and South |
| Pyongyang's nuclear programs and facilities. VOA's | | | | Korea remain technically at war: the 1950-to-1953 |
| Kurt Achin has more from Seoul. | | | | Korean War was halted only by an armistice, and |
| Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told | | | | not a permanent peace treaty. |
| reporters in Seoul Friday there is still work to do | | | | Hill says if the nuclear disabling phase goes |
| before United Nations sanctions against North | | | | smoothly, Washington would be willing to begin |
| Korea - known formally as the DPRK - can be | | | | separate talks aimed at a formal peace |
| lifted. | | | | agreement. However, he says nothing will be |
| "The sanctions are there until the DPRK gets out | | | | signed until North Korea's nuclear weapons are a |
| of the nuclear business," he said. "That is when | | | | thing of the past. |
| they ought to be revisited." | | | | "The concept is that we would get going with |
| The U.N. imposed punitive sanctions on North | | | | discussions after disabling, with the understanding |
| Korea after the North conducted its first nuclear | | | | that we would not conclude any peace |
| weapons test in October of last year. Since then, | | | | arrangement until there's denuclearization," he said. |
| however, multinational talks aimed at ending the | | | | Hill, who flew Friday to Tokyo, says envoys to |
| North's nuclear weapons capabilities have made | | | | the six-nation talks are likely to meet again soon |
| what appears to be notable progress. | | | | in Beijing to hear North Korea's promised full |
| North Korea has halted operations at its main | | | | declaration of its nuclear programs. The job of |
| nuclear plant in Yongbyon in exchange for energy | | | | accounting for and dismantling all of Pyongyang's |
| aid, as the first phase of an agreement with the | | | | nuclear materials and weapons - assuming that |
| U.S., South Korea, China, Russia and Japan. | | | | point is ever reached - would be expected early |
| Under the second phase of that agreement, a U.S. | | | | next year. |