North Korea says it has restarted reprocessing its spent fuel rods to extract plutonium at its main Yongbyon nuclear facilities.
The North's foreign ministry says this is a follow-up measure to its announcement last week that Pyeongyang will restore its nuclear program and boycott the six-party talks as a response to the UN Security Council condemning its rocket launch.
Pyeongyang says the reprocessing will help boost the North's nuclear deterrent indicating that it may use the plutonium-extract to build nuclear bombs.
This announcement comes immediately after the UN Security Council's sanctions committee put three North Korean companies on a blacklist for helping Pyeongyang's nuclear and missile programs prompting the North's outrage.
[Interview : Pak Tok-hun, North Korean Deputy UN Ambassador] "As I told you before, it is inherent right of every nation and country to make peaceful use of outer space. That's why we totally reject and do not recognize any sort of decision which has been made or will be made in the Security Council."
Experts say the North's strong measures may also be aimed at boosting its status among the foreign policy priorities of the United States.
[Interview : Kim Yong-hyun, Professor
Dongguk University] "Although it's taking these measures as a backlash against pressure from the US and the international community, these actions can essentially be seen as a way to quickly draw the US to the negotiating table."
However, Washington vowed earlier this week not to "give in" to Pyeongyang's "unpredictable behavior".
Ahn Ji-su, Arirang News.
APR 25, 2009
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Friday, SEP 03, 2010, (KST) 
