N. Korea says it completed reprocessing spent fuel rods

By Kim Hyun
SEOUL, Nov. 3 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Tuesday it has completed reprocessing
spent fuel rods and made "remarkable achievements" in weaponizing plutonium
extracted from them.
North Korea "successfully completed the reprocessing of 8,000 spent fuel rods" by
the end of August and made "remarkable achievements in weaponizing the extracted
plutonium to strengthen North Korea's nuclear deterrence," the North's Korean
Central News Agency said.
Pyongyang had said in April that it would start reprocessing the spent fuel rods
from its Yongbyon nuclear facility, in protest at U.N. criticism of its
long-range rocket launch earlier that month.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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