North Korean authorities said they will allow monitors from the United Nations to inspect the nuclear facilities. The announcement came as a response to the United States measure to remove North Korea from the list of countries that sponsor terrorism.

Pyongyang officials said they will allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to access “all facilities” at the Yongbyon complex located north of the country’s capital city, Reuters reported citing a UN diplomat.

Tensions between Pyongyang and the United Nations rose quickly last month as North Korea expelled IAEA inspectors and said it would resume processing plutonium. There were also tensions when North Korea stopped disabling the Yongbyon plant in August as a sign of protest against the fact that the US delayed the country’s removal from its blacklist of terrorist-sponsoring states.

The Korean Central News Agency announced yesterday that Pyongyang welcomed the U.S. decision to "honour its commitment" over the list.

"We have decided to resume the disabling of nuclear facilities in Yongbyon and to allow US and IAEA monitors to carry out their work again," the official statement read. The two sides agreed on key conditions such as permitting detailed inspections of the North Korean nuclear sites and allowing monitors to check whether the country had transferred weapons technology and enriched uranium.

North Korea’s removal form the U.S. black list drew mixed reactions. Japanese officials were very disappointed and labeled it as “a very disappointing” move.

"I consider kidnapping to be a form of terrorism. As to whether there were full discussions with Japan, as an ally, before the removal, I don't think that was the case, which is very regrettable," said Japan’s finance minister Shoichi Nakagawa.

However, the country’s Prime Minister, Taro Aso, said the issue will be more thoroughly discussed at the next round of six-party talks on the North's nuclear program.

"When the six-party talks continue to move forward, in the process of the negotiations we will have ample opportunity to discuss the kidnappings," he said. "We have not lost any leverage."