BEIJING - International talks have resumed on ending North Korean's nuclear programs, a day after the North snubbed a Chinese proposal outlining how monitors could verify its past atomic activities.
North Korea was refusing to allow outside inspectors to take samples from its main nuclear complex at Yongbyon - a crucial method of checking whether the country was truthful in its accounting of its nuclear programs.
The top U.S. negotiator, Christopher Hill, said North Korea was refusing to put any commitments on inspection into writing, making it impossible to move forward on an agreement.
It was not immediately clear how long the talks that began Monday will last.
The six-party talks have taken place in fits and starts since 2003.
In 2006, North Korea conducted an underground nuclear test. Pyongyang agreed to a disarmament-for-aid pact in 2007, but the disarmament process stalled in August amid the verification standoff.
