North Korea starts reprocessing nuclear fuel
April 25th, 2009 - 2:23 pm ICT by IANSSeoul, April 25 (DPA) North Korea said Saturday it has again started to reprocess spent nuclear fuel rods to produce weapons-grade plutonium.
“The reprocessing of spent fuel rods from the pilot atomic power plant began as declared in the Foreign Ministry statement dated April 14,” the state-run Korean Central News Agency cited a foreign ministry spokesman, who referred to work at North Korea’s Yongbyon nuclear facility.
The measure was to contribute to “bolstering the nuclear deterrence for self-defence in every way to cope with the increasing military threats from the hostile forces”, the spokesman said.
North Korea last week quit international negotiations to end its nuclear weapons programme, following criticism by the UN Security Council of its April 5 rocket launch, which the council regarded a breach of a resolution banning the Stalinist state from testing long-range ballistic missiles.
Following the Security Council statement, Pyongyang announced its withdrawal from the six-party talks, and said it would restore nuclear facilities it has been disabling after a 2007 disarmament deal.
- North Korea almost finished rebuilding nuclear facility: Report - Oct 06, 2009
- North Korea restarts nuclear facility: Report - May 27, 2009
- North Korea threatens nuclear test - Apr 29, 2009
- North Korea vows to boycott nuclear talks (Lead) - Apr 14, 2009
- US, S.Korea plan to discuss N.Korea's nuke programme - Mar 02, 2011
- North Korea threatens military action against South Korea (Lead) - May 27, 2009
- North Korea vows to boycott nuclear talks (Roundup) - Apr 14, 2009
- North Korea says it is in final phase of uranium enrichment (Lead) - Sep 04, 2009
- N. Korea in position to build another nuke bomb - Nov 04, 2009
- North Korea ready to match UN resolution with new nuke test: CIA to Obama - Jun 12, 2009
- North Korea expels IAEA inspectors, withdraws from six-nation talks - Apr 15, 2009
- China urges dialogue after North Korean satellite launch - Apr 17, 2012
- North Korea rocket launch fails (Second Lead) - Apr 13, 2012
- North Korea kicks out IAEA nuclear inspectors - Apr 15, 2009
- ROK alleges N. Korea of restoring facilities at destroyed Yongbyon nuclear reactor - Oct 06, 2010
Tags: atomic power plant, central news agency, disarmament deal, foreign ministry spokesman, hostile forces, international negotiations, korean central news, korean central news agency, military threats, ministry statement, north korea, nuclear deterrence, nuclear facility, nuclear fuel rods, nuclear weapons, range ballistic missiles, rocket launch, stalinist state, un security council, weapons grade plutonium