North Korea says main nuclear complex operational, warns U.S.

[Valin]

Reuters:

SEOUL Jack Kim and Ju-min Park

Sept. 15 2015

 

North Korea said on Tuesday its main nuclear complex was operating and it was working to improve the "quality and quantity" of its weapons which it could use against the United States at "any time". The comments follow a declaration by the North in 2013 vowing to restart all nuclear facilities, including the main nuclear reactor in Yongbyon that had been shuttered.

 

It marked the first acknowledgement since then that the plant, which has been the source of fissile material used in the country's atomic weapons program, is operational, experts said. "All the nuclear facilities in Yongbyon including the uranium enrichment plant and 5 MW graphite-moderated reactor were rearranged, changed or readjusted and they started normal operation," the North's state-run KCNA news agency said, quoting the director of its atomic agency.

 

"If the U.S. and other hostile forces persistently seek their reckless hostile policy towards the DPRK and behave mischievously, the DPRK is fully ready to cope with them with nuclear weapons any time," the director was quoted as saying. DPRK is the abbreviation of the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The country often makes threats against the United States and South Korea. Innovations have been made to improve nuclear weapons "in quality and quantity as required by the prevailing situation", the director was quoted as saying.

 

(Snip)

 

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It Should Be Noted This Was Probably Done With The Permission Of The PRC.