North Korea shut down a main nuclear reactor on Monday at Yongbyon . Officials worldwide suspect the reactor was shut down to allow for extraction of spent fuel rods. Once spent fuel rods that are rich in plutonium are extracted from a shut-down reactor, they can be processed to yield the high-purity plutonium necessary for manufacturing an atomic weapon . On Tuesday, North Korea confirmed the reactor was shut down to remove fuel rods for weapons processing. USA Today quoted North Korea's ambassador to the UN , Han Sang-ryol, saying the measure was taken to "increase its deterrent against a possible U.S. attack."
North Korea shut down a main on Monday at . Officials worldwide suspect the reactor was shut down to allow for extraction of spent fuel rods. Once spent fuel rods that are rich in are extracted from a shut-down reactor, they can be processed to yield the high-purity plutonium necessary for manufacturing an . On Tuesday, North Korea confirmed the reactor was shut down to remove fuel rods for weapons processing. quoted North Korea's ambassador to the , Han Sang-ryol, saying the measure was taken to "increase its deterrent against a possible U.S. attack."
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nuclear reactor
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