North Korea Moving Fuel Rods to Reactor

Associated Press ^ | Dec 26, 2002 | PAUL SHIN

[optimistically_conservative]

"The United States is going around trying to stir public opinion internationally, as though this is a sign of developing nuclear weapons," state-run Radio Pyongyang said in a commentary.

"Our measure has got nothing to do with plans to develop nuclear weapons. Our republic constantly maintains an anti-nuclear, peace-loving position," the commentary said. It was carried by South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

Gwozdecky said there were no signs of activities by North Korean officials at two other key facilities that are of more serious concern — a storage area holding 8,000 spent fuel rods and a laboratory used to reprocess spent fuel rods to get plutonium.

[optimistically_conservative]

Actually, I see this as a positive softening of the rhetoric out of Pyongyang. With their bluff called on the nuclear weapons program, they may at best start up the old reactors. If they go after the 8,000 spent rods, they're upping the ante - significantly.

[cardinal4]

My question is; if they are so isolated and their people have zero outside contact, and after their benefactors the Soviets have gone the way of the do-do, how did they get the wherewithall to restart the reactors?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I think you're beginning to catch on...

[Gary Boldwater]

Guess where the fallout and radiation leaks will blow?

[mvpel]

First they say they're going to destroy the world, then the say "Our republic constantly maintains an anti-nuclear, peace-loving position." What a psychotic government they have...