US to 'take DPRK off terrorist list soon'

The United States has told Japan that it will remove the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) from its terrorist blacklist this month, Kyodo news agency reported yesterday, quoting unidentified Japanese government sources.

The report follows talks in Tokyo on Wednesday between Japan's top negotiator on DRPK nuclear issues and US special envoy Sung Kim.

Kyodo reported that US envoy Christopher Hill, in talks in the DPRK earlier this month, agreed that Washington would not make verification of Pyongyang's uranium enrichment program or proliferation activities a condition of delisting.