N. Korea agrees to shut down reactor in 3 weeks

Pyongyang and Washington have agreed on a three-week timeframe for shutting down the North's plutonium-producing reactor, a top US nuclear envoy said Saturday. Christopher Hill - the chief US negotiator at international talks on North Korea's nuclear programs - said in response to reporters' questions on arriving at Tokyo's Haneda Airport that they were looking at "a three-week timeframe ... starting Friday" for shutting down the Yongbyon reactor. Hill arrived in Tokyo Saturday to brief his Japanese counterpart on the outcome of his two-day surprise trip to the North Korean capital.