North Korea Begins to Remove Reactor Fuel Rods

Fuel rods are being removed from North Korea’s plutonium-producing reactor as part of the ongoing effort to close down the nation’s nuclear program, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, Dec. 17).

Kyodo News reported that experts last week began moving the rods into water pools as they continue to disable three primary facilities at the Yongbyon nuclear complex.

North Korea pledged to complete disablement by the end of this year, but relocating the irradiated rods is not likely to be finished until March, AP reported.

Reloading the rods in the reactor would prove challenging, experts said.  Disablement is intended to prevent facilities from resuming operations for at least one year (Associated Press/Philippine Star, Dec. 17).

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, Beijing’s top negotiator at the six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear program, today observed disablement work at the nuclear reactor, Agence France-Presse reported.

He was scheduled to meet his North Korean counterpart, Kim Kye Gwan, and other officials during his trip to the Stalinist state.

“The purpose of his visit is to exchange ideas with the D.P.R.K. side … on the current situation in the six-party talks and the work for the next phase,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang.

The spokesman did not address reports that Pyongyang would not meet the year-end deadline to complete disablement of the three facilities and issue a full declaration of its nuclear holdings and activities.

“Relevant parties should overcome difficulties, deepen mutual trust and cooperation so as to implement the (denuclearization) agreement in a comprehensive way,” he said (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, Dec. 17).

Back to top
About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines © Copyright 2008 by National Journal Group, Inc. The material in this section is produced independently for NTI by National Journal Group, Inc. Any reproduction or retransmission, in whole or in part, is a violation of federal law and is strictly prohibited without the consent of the National Journal Group, Inc. All rights reserved.