ID :
57484
Sun, 04/26/2009 - 05:42
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/57484
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N. Korea says it resumed reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods
SEOUL, April 25 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Saturday that it has restarted extracting plutonium from spent fuel rods in its major nuclear facility, in an apparent response to U.N. punishment for its April 5 rocket launch.
The announcement by the North's foreign ministry came just hours after the U.N.
Security Council froze foreign assets of two firms and a bank in North Korea over
their suspected ties to missile and nuclear programs.
"The reprocessing of spent fuel rods from the pilot atomic power plant began as
declared in the Foreign Ministry statement dated April 14," a spokesman for the
ministry said in an interview with the official Korean Central News Agency.
Whether the North did begin the reprocessing facility in Yongbyon could not be
verified, as Pyongyang expelled international monitors there last week.
North Korea warned on April 14 that it was withdrawing from nuclear disarmament
talks and would restore its Yongbyon nuclear facility, immediately after the U.N.
Security Council adopted a presidential statement condemning its rocket launch.
Pyongyang says the U.N. action is unfair, claiming it has sovereign rights to
launch a satellite and develop space. But South Korea, the U.S. and Japan view
the launch as a disguised test of its long-range missile technology and say no
North Korean satellite has entered orbit.
North Korea noted the plutonium that will be extracted from spent fuel rods will
be used to build nuclear weapons.
"This (reprocessing of spent fuel rods) will contribute to bolstering the nuclear
deterrence for self-defense in every way to cope with the increasing military
threats from the hostile forces," the unidentified spokesman said.
North Korea tested a nuclear device in 2006, but after a landmark agreement in
2007, it began disabling its Yongbyon nuclear facility later that year. In
response, the U.S. removed the North from its list of terrorism-sponsoring
nations in October last year.
But the six-party talks hit a snag late last year over how to verify North
Korea's past nuclear activities.
Choson Sinbo, a pro-Pyongyang newspaper published in Japan, has warned North
Korea may attempt a second nuclear test.
The U.S. administration, the paper said Friday, "should make diplomatic efforts
to resolve tension and distrust from the (North Korean) military if it intends to
avoid repeating the former administration's mistake that drove (North Korea) to a
nuclear test."
Seoul officials said South Korea will calmly respond to North Korea's latest
provocation, noting the move had been expected.
President Lee Myung-bak called on Russia to persuade North Korea to come back to
the six-party talks that also involve China, Japan and Russia.
"I hope Russia will continue to play an important role in trying to resolve the
North Korean nuclear issue through the six-party talks," Lee told Sergei Lavro
who came to Seoul after a two-day visit to Pyongyang.
North Korea's state media said its foreign minister, Pak Ui-chun, embarked on a
trip to Cuba where he will attend an international meeting of non-aligned
countries.
Marking the 77th anniversary of its military Saturday, North Korea said it will
deal a "merciless strike" against the United States and its allies should they
try to invade it.
"Should the imperialist U.S. and its followers touch even an inch of our
territorial land, air or sea, our troops of the Korean People's Army will deal a
merciless strike of justice to the enemies to destroy them and thoroughly
eradicate the roots of war on the Korean Peninsula," the Rodong Sinmun, the
North's main newspaper published by the Workers' Party, said in an editorial.
A sanctions committee of the U.N. Security Council imposed financial and trade
sanctions on the Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation, the Korea Ryonbong
General Corporation and Tanchon Commercial Bank on Saturday (Seoul time).
The committee also banned U.N. member states from trading in dual-use items
related to the production of ballistic missiles and other weapons of mass
destruction
The announcement by the North's foreign ministry came just hours after the U.N.
Security Council froze foreign assets of two firms and a bank in North Korea over
their suspected ties to missile and nuclear programs.
"The reprocessing of spent fuel rods from the pilot atomic power plant began as
declared in the Foreign Ministry statement dated April 14," a spokesman for the
ministry said in an interview with the official Korean Central News Agency.
Whether the North did begin the reprocessing facility in Yongbyon could not be
verified, as Pyongyang expelled international monitors there last week.
North Korea warned on April 14 that it was withdrawing from nuclear disarmament
talks and would restore its Yongbyon nuclear facility, immediately after the U.N.
Security Council adopted a presidential statement condemning its rocket launch.
Pyongyang says the U.N. action is unfair, claiming it has sovereign rights to
launch a satellite and develop space. But South Korea, the U.S. and Japan view
the launch as a disguised test of its long-range missile technology and say no
North Korean satellite has entered orbit.
North Korea noted the plutonium that will be extracted from spent fuel rods will
be used to build nuclear weapons.
"This (reprocessing of spent fuel rods) will contribute to bolstering the nuclear
deterrence for self-defense in every way to cope with the increasing military
threats from the hostile forces," the unidentified spokesman said.
North Korea tested a nuclear device in 2006, but after a landmark agreement in
2007, it began disabling its Yongbyon nuclear facility later that year. In
response, the U.S. removed the North from its list of terrorism-sponsoring
nations in October last year.
But the six-party talks hit a snag late last year over how to verify North
Korea's past nuclear activities.
Choson Sinbo, a pro-Pyongyang newspaper published in Japan, has warned North
Korea may attempt a second nuclear test.
The U.S. administration, the paper said Friday, "should make diplomatic efforts
to resolve tension and distrust from the (North Korean) military if it intends to
avoid repeating the former administration's mistake that drove (North Korea) to a
nuclear test."
Seoul officials said South Korea will calmly respond to North Korea's latest
provocation, noting the move had been expected.
President Lee Myung-bak called on Russia to persuade North Korea to come back to
the six-party talks that also involve China, Japan and Russia.
"I hope Russia will continue to play an important role in trying to resolve the
North Korean nuclear issue through the six-party talks," Lee told Sergei Lavro
who came to Seoul after a two-day visit to Pyongyang.
North Korea's state media said its foreign minister, Pak Ui-chun, embarked on a
trip to Cuba where he will attend an international meeting of non-aligned
countries.
Marking the 77th anniversary of its military Saturday, North Korea said it will
deal a "merciless strike" against the United States and its allies should they
try to invade it.
"Should the imperialist U.S. and its followers touch even an inch of our
territorial land, air or sea, our troops of the Korean People's Army will deal a
merciless strike of justice to the enemies to destroy them and thoroughly
eradicate the roots of war on the Korean Peninsula," the Rodong Sinmun, the
North's main newspaper published by the Workers' Party, said in an editorial.
A sanctions committee of the U.N. Security Council imposed financial and trade
sanctions on the Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation, the Korea Ryonbong
General Corporation and Tanchon Commercial Bank on Saturday (Seoul time).
The committee also banned U.N. member states from trading in dual-use items
related to the production of ballistic missiles and other weapons of mass
destruction
