Pyongyang rejects nuke sampling

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said yesterday that it won't allow outside inspectors to take samples from its main nuclear complex to verify the accounting of past nuclear activities.

Pyongyang's foreign ministry said that it had never agreed to such sampling, contradicting statements by US officials last month following a breakthrough deal about how to verify DPRK's list of nuclear programs under a disarmament pact.

The conflicting statements could prove a new snag in the long, tortured process of nuclear disarmament on the Korean Peninsula. The DPRK has agreed to give up its nuclear weapons but has disputed with the US over verification, with Washington insisting on strict measures to ensure Pyongyang is not hiding any active atomic programs.