|
|
  |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sohn Jie-Ae: S. Korean president-elect in a tight spot
SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- North Korea expelled International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors Friday who have been monitoring its frozen nuclear facilities. It also told the IAEA that it will resume operations at its plant for reprocessing spent fuel rods -- a facility capable of making weapons-grade plutonium. CNN's Seoul bureau chief Sohn Jie-Ae is covering the story and filed this report. SOHN: We have received confirmation that the [Vienna, Austria-based] International Atomic Energy Agency has been told that it will be asked to leave North Korea. North Korea has said that these inspectors are no longer needed because it has decided to reactivate the frozen nuclear facilities at Yongbyon. [Because] North Korea removed the surveillance cameras and the safety seals on the nuclear reactors, these inspectors were the only way that the outside world knew of North Korea's nuclear activities. North Korea also said it was reactivating a research lab that could be used to process spent fuel rods into weapons-grade plutonium. So it seems that North Korea is -- step by step -- living up to its threat to reactivate its nuclear program. South Koreans are very concerned about the escalating nuclear crisis and how it will affect their country and of course relations with North Korea. The person that is mostly concerned about this is South Korean President-elect Roh Moo-hyun. He was elected a week ago saying that he will continue an engagement policy with North Korea. In other words, [he will try] to resolve North Korea's problems through dialogue. He has started talking very tough in recent days, and he will have to walk a very delicate line between talking tough to try to get North Korea to give up nuclear weapons, and also trying to convince North Korea through dialogue that it is in its best interest to do so. Roh at this time is in a very tight spot.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
