North Korea confirms nuclear ambitions
- 11 years ago
North Korea announces plans to restart the country's nuclear facilities, including a mothballed reactor that has been closed since 2007.
The Yongbyon plant is the North's only known source of plutonium for its nuclear weapons programme.
As well as restarting the Yongbyon reactor, a uranium enrichment plant will also be put back into operation.
The news comes amid soaring regional tensions in the Korean Peninsula, with the U.S. bolstering forces there after North Korea threatened to launch attacks on American bases.
North Korea, one of the world's most isolated states, conducted its third nuclear test in February, but it's believed to be years away from developing nuclear weapons.
In a speech on Sunday, the North's leader Kim Jong-un stressed that nuclear weapons would serve as a deterrent.
North Korea claims the region is on the brink of a nuclear war in the wake of U.S. sanctions.
In response, South Korea has called on the North to curb its nu
The Yongbyon plant is the North's only known source of plutonium for its nuclear weapons programme.
As well as restarting the Yongbyon reactor, a uranium enrichment plant will also be put back into operation.
The news comes amid soaring regional tensions in the Korean Peninsula, with the U.S. bolstering forces there after North Korea threatened to launch attacks on American bases.
North Korea, one of the world's most isolated states, conducted its third nuclear test in February, but it's believed to be years away from developing nuclear weapons.
In a speech on Sunday, the North's leader Kim Jong-un stressed that nuclear weapons would serve as a deterrent.
North Korea claims the region is on the brink of a nuclear war in the wake of U.S. sanctions.
In response, South Korea has called on the North to curb its nu