By — PBS News Hour PBS News Hour Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/asia-july-dec08-northkorea_09-24 Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter N. Korea Bars U.N. Inspectors From Nuclear Plant Politics Sep 24, 2008 12:35 PM EDT North Korea officials have “informed the IAEA inspectors that they plan to introduce nuclear material to the reprocessing plant in one week’s time,” said a statement citing Mohamed ElBaradei, the chief of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, according to the Associated Press. Pyongyang ordered the removal of the U.N. seals and surveillance equipment from the Yongbyon reactor — a key facility that can produce weapons-grade plutonium and provided the materials for the North to conduct a test explosion two years ago. “There are no more seals and surveillance equipment in place at the (plutonium) reprocessing facility,” IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said, referring to the most closely watched installation at Yongbyon, Reuters reported. ElBaradei also said the North Koreans barred the IAEA inspectors from further access to the plant. A U.N. official who spoke on condition of anonymity told the AP Wednesday that other nuclear sites in North Korea remained under IAEA purview. She also said agency seals remained on the spent fuel rods that were removed from Yongbyon under the terms of the 2007 deal. The new moves come amid concerns over the health of leader Kim Jong Il. Kim’s absence at North Korean military parades in early September intensified media speculation that the leader may have suffered a stroke or other serious illness. The nuclear reversal sparked new worries about viability of a landmark agreement won by international negotiators last year to bring the North out of its confrontational isolation with most of the world and put an end to its controversial nuclear program. The landmark 2007 disarmament pact — made with the United States, China, South Korea, Russia and Japan — called on Pyongyang to give up and disable its nuclear program in exchange for energy aid and other diplomatic concessions. The accord stalled in mid-August when the U.S. refused to remove North Korea from its list of states that sponsor terrorism until the North accepted a plan to fully verify a declaration of its nuclear programs that it submitted earlier. On Sept. 19, North Korea said it had stopped disabling its nuclear reactor in Yongbyon and that it no longer wants to be taken off a U.S. list of states that sponsor terrorism. “We are making thorough preparations to restart” the facility, North Korean diplomat Hyun Hak Bong told reporters at the time. Nuclear analysts have said North Korea would need several months at least to bring the installation back to full operations. Scientists began disabling the Yongbyon reactor in November, and in June blew up its cooling tower in a dramatic show of its commitment to the pact. Eight of the 11 steps needed to disable the reactor were completed by July, North Korean officials said. White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the North Korean actions “are very disappointing.” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday that North Korea’s actions to reactivate its nuclear plant did not mean an end to the six-party nuclear talks, but deepened Pyongyang’s isolation. “By no means,” Rice told reporters in New York. “Everyone knows what the path ahead is, the path ahead is to have agreement on the verification protocol. The North Koreans know that,” she said, according to Reuters. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — PBS News Hour PBS News Hour
North Korea officials have “informed the IAEA inspectors that they plan to introduce nuclear material to the reprocessing plant in one week’s time,” said a statement citing Mohamed ElBaradei, the chief of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, according to the Associated Press. Pyongyang ordered the removal of the U.N. seals and surveillance equipment from the Yongbyon reactor — a key facility that can produce weapons-grade plutonium and provided the materials for the North to conduct a test explosion two years ago. “There are no more seals and surveillance equipment in place at the (plutonium) reprocessing facility,” IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said, referring to the most closely watched installation at Yongbyon, Reuters reported. ElBaradei also said the North Koreans barred the IAEA inspectors from further access to the plant. A U.N. official who spoke on condition of anonymity told the AP Wednesday that other nuclear sites in North Korea remained under IAEA purview. She also said agency seals remained on the spent fuel rods that were removed from Yongbyon under the terms of the 2007 deal. The new moves come amid concerns over the health of leader Kim Jong Il. Kim’s absence at North Korean military parades in early September intensified media speculation that the leader may have suffered a stroke or other serious illness. The nuclear reversal sparked new worries about viability of a landmark agreement won by international negotiators last year to bring the North out of its confrontational isolation with most of the world and put an end to its controversial nuclear program. The landmark 2007 disarmament pact — made with the United States, China, South Korea, Russia and Japan — called on Pyongyang to give up and disable its nuclear program in exchange for energy aid and other diplomatic concessions. The accord stalled in mid-August when the U.S. refused to remove North Korea from its list of states that sponsor terrorism until the North accepted a plan to fully verify a declaration of its nuclear programs that it submitted earlier. On Sept. 19, North Korea said it had stopped disabling its nuclear reactor in Yongbyon and that it no longer wants to be taken off a U.S. list of states that sponsor terrorism. “We are making thorough preparations to restart” the facility, North Korean diplomat Hyun Hak Bong told reporters at the time. Nuclear analysts have said North Korea would need several months at least to bring the installation back to full operations. Scientists began disabling the Yongbyon reactor in November, and in June blew up its cooling tower in a dramatic show of its commitment to the pact. Eight of the 11 steps needed to disable the reactor were completed by July, North Korean officials said. White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the North Korean actions “are very disappointing.” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday that North Korea’s actions to reactivate its nuclear plant did not mean an end to the six-party nuclear talks, but deepened Pyongyang’s isolation. “By no means,” Rice told reporters in New York. “Everyone knows what the path ahead is, the path ahead is to have agreement on the verification protocol. The North Koreans know that,” she said, according to Reuters. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now