US Says North Korea Has Not Restarted Nuclear Reactor Yet

Text of report in English by Japan’s largest news agency Kyodo

Washington, 19 September: North Korea has not reactivated its nuclear reactor in Yongbyon although it is moving closer to doing so, the State Department said Friday.

Department spokesman Sean McCormack said at a news briefing that Pyongyang is getting “to the point of operationalizing Yongbyon again,” though “they haven’t gotten to that point yet.”

“And we would urge them not to get to that point,” he said.

North Korea said Friday it has begun restoring the Yongbyon nuclear complex to counter a US decision to delay its removal from Washington’s list of terrorist sponsors.

McCormack pointed to the need to keep tabs on North Korea’s moves.

“They have a choice. They can go down the pathway of having a different kind of relationship with the world…or they can keep themselves isolated, move the process backward. So we’ll see,” he said.

Asked if the US judgment that Pyongyang has not restarted the reactor is based on information from US personnel in North Korea, the spokesman replied, “It’s from a variety of different sources, yes.”

North Korea stopped disablement work at the nuclear complex north of the capital in mid-August and began moving equipment earlier this month to restore the facilities.

While the US administration became able to take North Korea off the terror blacklist on Aug. 10, it postponed doing so, saying Pyongyang must first agree to a regime for verifying information about its nuclear programmes.

Under a six-party denuclearization agreement linking North and South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, Pyongyang is to disable the Yongbyon facility and disclose its nuclear information in exchange for economic aid and diplomatic benefits.

Originally published by Kyodo News Service, Tokyo, in English 2326 19 Sep 08.

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