A working group of U.S. experts arrived here Thursday for disablement work on the nuclear facilities of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) which could start early next week.
The disablement process is expected to start when the nine-member team arrives in Yongbyon next week, according to Sung Kim, head of the team and director of the U.S. State Department's Office of Korea Affairs.
Kim told reporters at a hotel in Beijing that the main focus of their trip is "to go there and get (disablement) started as soon as possible."
"As soon as we are set up in Yongbyon we will begin. Hopefully early next week," Kim said.
The team, composed of officials from the U.S. Energy Department as well as scientists and technicians, is scheduled to stay in the DPRK for one or two weeks and then another team will replace them, according to Kim, who also voiced the hope that the disablement could be "accomplished before the end of this year."
The DPRK agreed to disable all existing nuclear facilities and provide a declaration of all its nuclear programs by the end of this year, according to a joint document released on Oct. 3 when the second phase of the sixth round of six-party talks ended in Beijing.
The United States would lead the disablement and provide initial funding, according to the document.
The six parties -- China, the DPRK, the United States, South Korea, Russia and Japan -- signed a landmark agreement on Feb. 13 that required the DPRK to declare all its nuclear programs and disable all existing nuclear facilities, while the other parties must provide a total of one million tons of heavy fuel oil or equivalent aid to the country.
Source: Xinhua
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