North Korea to restart nuclear plant

North Korea today announced it is to reopen a defunct nuclear reactor capable of producing weapons-grade plutonium.

A spokesman for the Communist state’s General Department of Atomic Energy said a graphite-moderated five megawatt reactor at the Yongbyon nuclear complex, shut down in 2007, would be restarted.

When fully running the plant is capable each year of producing one atomic bomb’s worth of plutonium, the most common fuel for nuclear weapons.

The move will boost fears in Washington about North Korea’s push for nuclear-tipped missiles that can reach the US, technology it is not currently believed to have.

It is also the most recent action since North Korea’s third nuclear weapon test in February and multiple threats in the past week from Pyongyang against US and South Korean targets.

The country’s Stalinist government has been angered both by UN sanctions imposed after its nuclear test and joint US-South Korea annual military drills.

Leaders have since declared that making nuclear arms and a stronger economy are the nation’s top priorities and have also said the nation is now at a “state of war” with its southern neighbour.

A statement from the government released after the declaration said: “The decision reflects the strong will of the army and people of the DPRK to annihilate the enemies.”

The US has responded to the sabre-rattling with high-profile flights of advanced military aircraft over South Korea, including F-22 Raptors on Sunday and, last month, B-2 and B-52 bombers capable of delivering a nuclear payload.

Meanwhile US defence officials also said a warship that can defend against missile strikes had been moved to the South Korean coast.