It was a “counter-measure” against the United States for not sticking to its promise of delisting DPRK from a “state sponsor of terrorism blacklist, the official KCNA news agency quoted foreign ministry official Hyon Hak-bong as saying.

“You may say we have already started work to restore them to their original status,” he told reporters at the border truce village of Panmunjom before the start of talks between the two Koreas on energy aid.

At the six-party talks in mid-July 2008, concerned parties reached an agreement under which the DPRK will complete the disablement of the Yongbyon nuclear facilities by the end of October.