N.Korea Agrees to Missile Site Inspection

North Korea has agreed to let the International Civil Aviation Organization inspect its missile facilities, Japan's Kyodo News reported Sunday.

The ICAO demanded that North Korea allow inspections of its missile-launch facilities after mounting criticism that the North's unannounced missile launches endanger international civil aviation.

North Korea became a member of ICAO in 1977 and is obliged to give fair warning of missile or satellite launch plans in advance. Passenger planes cannot fly through North Korean airspace if it continues to launch missiles without warning.

North Korean officials told visiting ICAO representatives in May that the North has completed its development of nuclear weapons and pledged to halt missile tests that could threaten the safety of civilian aircraft.

The ICAO plans to send a team of inspectors to North Korea next year. Kyodo reported that they will check what steps North Korea has taken to guarantee the safety of civilian aircraft.