Team travels to North Korean nuclear plant

BEIJING, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- A dismantlement team traveled Thursday to North Korea to begin disabling nuclear facilities at the country's Yongbyon complex, a U.S. official said.

The effort is expected to be a combined effort with some North Korean help and "of course, our experts supervising and coordinating," Sung Kim, Office of Korean Affairs director at the U.S. State Department, told a news briefing in Beijing.

Kim said he wasn't sure when the dismantlement would begin.

"We would like to start as soon as possible. I think as soon as we are set up in Yongbyon we will begin, hopefully early next week," he told reporters.

North Korea agreed in February to shut down its nuclear facilities.