A United States lawmaker who just visited North Korea said on Sunday the North’s chief negotiator at nuclear disarmament talks told his delegation that the communist nation is continuing work to build reactors that could create material for atomic bombs.
James Leach, chairperson of the House subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, said Kim Kye Gwan made clear in Pyongyang that the North ”ought to have the right to a light-water reactor”.
”Beyond that, there was a notification that they are proceeding with the building of a graphite facility,” Leach said, a reference to the type of reactors used at the North’s main Yongbyon nuclear facility. He added that the North also is making moves to create more weapons-grade nuclear material for bombs.
Leach said the US Congress has reservations about allowing the North to have a light-water nuclear reactor, believed to be more difficult to convert for weapons use, because the country allegedly violated a 1994 agreement with Washington.
Leach said during his trip North Korean officials made a ”pretty strong commitment” to return to six-nation arms talks in the week of September 12 as it has said it will do. The date is two weeks later than originally agreed when negotiators in Beijing went into recess last month after 13 days of talks failed to reach agreement.
The North says it should be allowed to operate a peaceful nuclear programme for power generation, and it has drawn support on that point from some of the other countries at the talks — but only after it completely disarms and follows all international guidelines.
While in Seoul, Leach met South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Ban Ki-moon, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young and National Security Adviser Kwon Chin-ho. — Sapa-AP