IAEA: N Korea appears to have resumed nuke reactor operation

By HYUNG-JIN KIM
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The U.N. atomic agency says North Korea appears to have restarted the operation of its main nuclear reactor used to produce weapons fuels. The annual report by the the International Atomic Energy Agency comes as North Korea openly threatens to enlarge its nuclear arsenal amid long-dormant nuclear diplomacy with the United States. The report refers to a 5-megawatt reactor at the North’s main nuclear complex in Yongbyon, north of Pyongyang. The reactor produces plutonium, one of the two key ingredients to build nuclear weapons along with highly enriched uranium. The agency uses satellite imagery and open source information to monitor developments in North Korea’s nuclear program.