North Korea says it will allow U.N. access to nuclear site

VIENNA, Austria – North Korea declared Monday that it will resume shutting down its nuclear program and allow U.N. experts to monitor the process, including making sure the plant that produced plutonium for its test bomb remains disabled.

The moves, revealed by the International Atomic Energy Agency, were a strong indication that Pyongyang was making good on its pledge to return to a deal with the U.S., Russia, China, South Korea and Japan meant to strip it of its weapons-enabling nuclear program.

Pyongyang announced Sunday it would resume dismantlement in line with the deal offering political and energy rewards in exchange, after the U.S. removed North Korea from its list of states sponsoring terrorism.

“The agency inspectors were … informed today that as of 14 October 2008, core discharge activities at the (nuclear) reactor would be resumed,” said a restricted IAEA document to the agency’s 35 board members. It said “monitoring and verification arrangements” of the U.N. nuclear agency also would be restarted.