CNN: N.Korea invites media to nuclear plant blast
June 23, 2008
For those of you who don’t know yet, I’m completely fascinated with North Korea. I’m sure I’ll post more about them soon, but this article is a start:
WASHINGTON (CNN) – North Korea is to blow up a key part of its controversial Yongbyon nuclear reactor on Friday.
Hyun Hak-Bong (right), North Korea’s deputy negotiator to six-party talks, crosses the border into South Korea on June 5.
The destruction of the plant’s cooling tower is part of an agreement with the United States aimed at denuclearizing the Korean peninsula in exchange for loosening some restrictions on the highly secretive Communist country.
The North Korean government has invited news organizations, including CNN, to witness the event.
Earlier this year, Pyongyang agreed to disable its nuclear reactor and provide a full accounting of its plutonium stockpile, “acknowledge” concerns about its proliferation activities and its uranium enrichment activity, and agree to continue cooperation with a verification process to ensure no further activities are taking place.
North Korea has been taking Yongbyon’s main reactor apart, but imploding the cooling tower is an exceptionally important psychological step given that the highly recognizable shape of the structure is synonymous with nuclear power plants.
(More at CNN.com…)
