Washington had requested soil samples, but North Korea says sampling was never part of the verification deal.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFnorth Korea officers 298(photo credit: AP)
North Korea says it has agreed to let nuclear inspectors visit its main atomic complex and interview scientists - but refuses to let them take samples as part of any verification checklist.
The Foreign Ministry statement released Wednesday provides the first details from Pyongyang about last month's negotiations with a US nuclear envoy.
Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill went to the North Korean capital in early October in a bid to rescue a disarmament-for-aid deal stalled over how to verify Pyongyang's claims about its nuclear program.
Washington had requested soil samples, but North Korea says sampling was never part of the verification deal.
