Chief U.S. negotiator calls for DPRK to cease nuclear operations

USA Today reports that Christopher Hill, the chief U.S. negotiator to North Korea, has requested the nation freeze its current nuclear operations in exchange for 500,000 tons of oil.

"The DPRK must get out of the nuclear business entirely," Hill told reporters in Tokyo earlier today.

You may recall that North Korea withdrew from the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 2003 after the U.S. halted fuel oil shipments to the nation one month prior (see related story). To this day, the DPRK is the only NPT signatory to have withdrawn from the agreement.

Japanese officials say they will not offer any energy assistance until North Korea releases the Japanese citizens it abducted in an attempt to learn about the island nation's language and culture (though North Korea alleges all those adbucted have been returned).

Experts also believe that the DPRK will demand more oil than the current U.S. offer would provide for.