The United States has removed North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism after the North agreed on terms for verifying its nuclear programs. The U.S. made the decision in order to advance the stalled six-party talks on the North's denuclearization. The decision is a concession on the part of the U.S. as the agreement contains worrisome elements. It also poses difficulty for Japan, which had basically conditioned the delisting on resolving the fate of Japanese nationals kidnapped by North Korea in the 1970s and '80s.

In June, North Korea declared its nuclear programs in the hope of getting off the list. But the U.S. postponed the delisting after the North refused to agree on the method for verifying the programs. Last month an angry Pyongyang began work to restore the plutonium-producing nuclear plant in Yongbyon. Under the new agreement to be formalized by the nations involved with the six-party talks — the U.S., China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea and Russia — experts will take part in the verification, which will cover not only the North's plutonium-based programs but also its alleged uranium enrichment and transfer of nuclear technologies to other countries.

For its part, the North will resume disablement of the Yongbyon nuclear complex. Experts will have access to and take samples at all declared nuclear facilities. The International Atomic Energy Agency will also play a consultative and support role in the verification.

At undeclared sites, though, the experts can carry out their activities only by mutual consent. This means that North Korea has a veto with regard to verification at such sites. It is also unclear whether the North's nuclear weapons and nuclear test site will be subject to verification.

Efforts to have the North give up its nuclear programs and weapons should not slacken despite the hurdles ahead. Japan, the U.S. and South Korea should deepen cooperation with China to make the verification truly effective. As for the abduction issue, North Korea should immediately resume the reinvestigation and Japan should renew efforts to move it along.