Washington approves aid package for North Korea

[As predicted] The U.S. Senate has earmarked $15 million in economic aid for North Korea for fiscal 2008 and approved an additional $53 million to provide 1 million tons of fuel in exchange for progress in North Korea’s denuclearization efforts.

The latest moves came after North Korea broke a months-long deadlock in its three-step denuclearization process, brightening prospects for the next round of six-party talks. Seoul officials said the next round could be held in Beijing in early June.

North Korea turned over 18,000 pages of Yongbyon nuclear records dating back to 1992 to Washington earlier this month and is poised to submit a full nuclear inventory and list of programs to China, host of the six-party talks.

Once North Korea sends that information, Washington will respond by taking the country off the U.S. list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, South Korea’s chief nuclear envoy Kim Sook said.

[JoongAng Ilbo]