North Korea Begins Moving Fuel Rods Into a Reactor

North Korea has begun moving fresh fuel rods into a reactor, a key step in reactivating nuclear facilities that could eventually produce weapons, a South Korean news agency said today.

North Korea denied that its move was a prelude to developing weapons, saying it needed to reactivate the facility to generate electricity. The mothballed plant is at the center of a diplomatic standoff with the United States.

The Yonhap news agency, quoting an unidentified South Korean government official, said the North began moving fuel rods into the 5-megawatt reactor at its main nuclear center north of its capital, Pyongyang.

The report followed an announcement Wednesday by officials in South Korea that the North has allowed the International Atomic Energy Agency to send more inspectors to its nuclear facilities, even as the Pyongyang regime’s engineers move freely around a reactor in violation of arms control agreements.

The agency has three inspectors staying in North Korea to monitor the regime’s nuclear activities. The number of inspectors was increased from two to three this week.

South Korean President Kim Dae Jung said today that his government will never tolerate the North’s efforts to develop nuclear weapons but stressed that the issue should be resolved peacefully through dialogue.