North Korea invites media to event

PYONGYANG, North Korea, June 24 (UPI) -- North Korea invited the media to witness the destruction of the cooling tower of its main Yongbyon nuclear facility Friday.

North Korean officials said they want to use the event to show it is serious about its total nuclear disarmament commitment made to the United States, Russia, China, Japan and South Korea under the six-party format.

The North Korean government invited news organizations to witness the Friday event, CNN reported.

Pyongyang is required to destroy its nuclear facilities and disclose all its nuclear activities including a full accounting of its plutonium assets and uranium enrichment activities before the six-party talks can resume, CNN reported.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said once North Korea submits its declaration, U.S. President George Bush will notify Congress of plans to remove North Korea from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, the report said.