The head of the UN’s atomic watchdog is calling on North Korea to allow inspectors back in to monitor its nuclear program.
Director General Yukiya Amano told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Thursday that Pyongyang had in September talked about denuclearization measures including the “permanent dismantlement of the nuclear facilities in Yongbyon” – a reactor where it produces plutonium.
Amano says there has been activity observed at Yongbyon, but “without access the agency cannot confirm the nature and purpose of these activities.”
He called on North Korea to comply with UN Security Council resolutions and co-operate with the IAEA, whose inspectors were expelled in 2009.
He says the IAEA is continuing preparations to verify North Korea’s nuclear program “if a political agreement is reached among countries concerned.”
WATCH: Is North Korea ready to give up its nuclear weapons?