Press Statement
Sean McCormack, Spokesman
Washington, DC
July 14, 2007

North Korea -- Shutdown of Yongbyon Facilities

The U.S. has been informed Saturday that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea shut down its nuclear facilities at Yongbyon. We welcome this development and look forward to the verification and monitoring of this shutdown by the International Atomic Energy Agency team that has arrived in the DPRK.

We, along with all our other Six-Party partners, remain firmly committed to achieving the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through the implementation of the September 2005 Joint Statement. With the Six-Party Talks negotiators set to meet July 18 in Beijing, we look forward to working with all parties to make rapid progress in implementing the next phase set forth in the February 13 agreement on initial actions, in which the DPRK has committed to declaring all its nuclear programs and disabling all its existing nuclear facilities.

2007/587

Released on July 14, 2007