North Korea Steps Up Nuclear Program

July 9, 2003

South Korea's intelligence agency said today that it believed North Korea has reprocessed a small number of spent fuel rods in a step that could produce nuclear weapons materials.

The statement marked the first time South Korea confirmed that the communist North has begun reprocessing its pool of 8,000 nuclear spent fuel rods.

If reprocessed, experts say, those rods can yield enough plutonium for several atomic bombs within months.

"We believe that North Korea has reprocessed a small portion of the 8,000 spent rods," the National Intelligence Service said in a report to the National Assembly.

The spy agency also told the Assembly that North Korea conducted nuclear-related tests of high explosives at Yongduk-dong, a site west of the North's main Yongbyon nuclear complex. No further details were available.

South Korea's Defence Ministry had previously said that North Korea conducted at least 70 nuclear-related tests of high explosives between 1983 and 1993 and continued similar tests at least until 1998.

US officials say North Korea is believed to have had at least one nuclear bomb before freezing its Yongbyon complex under a 1994 deal with the United States.

Since April, North Korea has claimed that it had all but finished reprocessing the 8,000 rods.

Until now, both US and South Korean officials have expressed doubt on the North Korean claim.

America and its allies are bringing pressure on North Korea to abandon its suspected development of nuclear weapons.

The nuclear dispute flared in October when US officials said North Korea admitted running a secret nuclear program in violation of international pacts.
 
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/story.jsp?story=423047