S. Korea condemns N. Korea's uranium enrichment

SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korea denounced on Friday North Korea's
continued uranium enrichment and weapons-grade plutonium production, saying the
actions are "intolerable."
The North's state media reported earlier in the day that Pyongyang's
"experimental uranium enrichment has successfully been conducted to enter into
completion phase." Quoting a letter sent by the North Korean U.N. envoy to the
U.N. Security Council, the report added, "Reprocessing of spent fuel rods is at
its final phase and extracted plutonium is being weaponized."
The South Korean government said the North's move runs counter to the
international community's implementation of U.N. Security Council sanctions
adopted in 2006 and earlier this year to punish the North for its nuclear tests.
The North's continued provocative acts fly in the face of the world's resolute
commitment to the denuclearization of North Korea and peace in Northeast Asia,
foreign ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young said in a statement.
"It is not tolerable," Moon said. "The government will deal sternly and
consistently with North Korea's threats and provocations."
lcd@yna.co.kr
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