N. Korea ‘resumes plutonium extraction’

FT ^ | 4/26/09 | Christian Oliver

[anniegetyourgun]

North Korea says it has resumed reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods to extract plutonium, further raising the diplomatic stakes after it launched a long-range rocket over Japan earlier this month.

The announcement comes as a sharp rebuff to China and Russia, the closest countries North Korea has to allies, which have been urging Pyongyang to resume six-party talks, the diplomatic framework aimed at getting the communist state to dismantle its nuclear bomb programme.

[gandalftb]

N Korea tore down the cooling tower and steam lines for the processor. It will be easy to see if they are rebuilding and serious about enriching again. Just loose talk for now.

They had enough enriched to make one bomb but the fuel needs to be machined and shaped, that's all they are doing, not much to worry about.

They don't have the technology to make a bomb portable but certainly could try to blow themselves up again. Let's hope they will be at least more entertaining than the last fizzle.

[Personal Responsibility]

Perhaps we should send them a reasonably strong worded letter notifying them that we are disappointed with their decision and ask them to rejoing the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. That’ll definitely get the job done.

[jws3sticks]

Perhaps we should send them a reasonably strong worded letter notifying them that we are disappointed with their decision and ask them to rejoining the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. That’ll definitely get the job done.

We'll give them three minutes to formerly reply. Failing a totally positive response, we blast them into the stone ages, not that they are that far from them today.