DPRK confirms shutdown of Yongbyon nuclear facilities

July 16 - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) confirmed on Sunday that it had shut down its Yongbyon nuclear facilities after receiving the first shipment of heavy oil from South Korea.
"We have shut down the nuclear facilities at Yongbyon after we received the first shipment of heavy oil on Friday," the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, citing a spokesman of the DPRK Foreign Ministry.
This is the first DPRK official confirmation of the shutdown of its Yongbyon nuclear facilities, which came hours after a 10-member team of UN inspectors arrived in Pyongyang to verify and monitor the shutdown and sealing of the facilities.
The heavy oil provided to the DPRK is compensation for the shutdown of its Yongbyon nuclear facilities, but not any "beneficent aid." And the activities of UN inspectors in Yongbyon should be defined as "validation and monitoring," but not "inspection," the spokesman said.
The DPRK also urged other parties concerned to fulfill their commitments quickly according to the Feb. 13 agreement.
"The DPRK has done what it should do, now it's the time for other parties to abide by their obligation under Feb. 13 agreement," said the spokesman.
At the February six-party talks involving China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, the DPRK and the United States, Pyongyang pledged to shut down the Yongbyon reactor within 60 days in exchange for 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil or equivalent aid.
However, the denuclearization process was held up as the DPRK insisted that its 25 million U.S. dollars frozen at the Banco Delta Asia in Macao be returned before shutting down the nuclear facilities and reviving negotiations.
The DPRK announced later in June that the problem of its frozen fund had been resolved and pledged last Friday to start implement the Feb. 13 agreement as it received the first shipment of heavy oil.