North Korea told the United States July 14 that it had shut down its nuclear reactor at Yongbyon and readmitted a permanent international inspection team, completing its first step toward reversing a four-year-long confrontation with the United States. Rice and Mr. Hill worked around Mr. Cheney to strike the deal, which awarded the North large shipments of oil as it took the first steps to end its nuclear production capacity.
The United States also cleared the way for the return of $25 million frozen in a Macao bank that the administration had said was largely North Korea’s ill-gotten gains from counterfeiting and arms sales. A South Korean ship, No. 9 Han Chang loaded with 6,200 tons of heavy fuel oil arrived at Sonbong, a port in northeastern North Korea, on July 14,
