A US delegation led by a Nobel laureate arrived in North Korea Thursday for a rare trip focused on science cooperation, a US scientific society said.
The non-governmental group led by Peter C. Agre, a Nobel laureate in chemistry, will stay in the communist state for five days, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) said on its website.
"This delegation will be the first significant effort to engage in science cooperation" with North Korea, it said.
The six-person team includes representatives from four organisations including AAAS and the US Civilian Research and Development Foundation, a non-profit group that promotes international scientific and technical collaboration.
The two other organisations are Syracuse University, which cooperates with Kim Chaek University of Technology in Pyongyang, and the New York-based Korea Society.
"We'll be meeting with scientists, university and science policy officials to explore practical opportunities for exchange and collaboration," Agre, the AAAS president, was quoted as saying.
"This visit is a crucial step in the process."
The scientists arrived the same day as US envoy Stephen Bosworth left Pyongyang after talks aimed at persuading the North to return to nuclear disarmament negotiations.
Copyright 2009  AFP Global Edition
