In our earlier story about North Korea's test launch of short-range missiles, we noted that rather than a routine test, it could be a form of saber-rattling. Well, the rattling just got louder.
North Korea announced Thursday that it is preparing to restart the Yongbyon facility, which produced the material it used in its one and only (so far) atomic bomb.
At the same time North Korea told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it was barring international inspectors from the Yongbyon facility, the IAEA said.
The press release from the IAEA stated:
"The Democratic People´s Republic of Korea (North Korea, DPRK) has today informed IAEA inspectors that effective immediately access to facilities at Yongbyon would no longer be permitted.
The DPRK also has stated it has stopped its disablement work, which was initially agreed upon within the Six-Party Talks. Also, since it is preparing to restart the facilities at Yongbyon, the DPRK has informed the IAEA that our monitoring activities would no longer be appropriate.
IAEA inspectors will remain in Yongbyon pending further information by the DPRK."
North Korea was to dismantle the facility in return for diplomatic concessions and energy aid equivalent to 1 million tons of oil under a February 2007 deal with the U.S., South Korea, China, Russia and Japan, in what has been called the "Six Party Talks."
However, in August, tensions escalated when the U.S. refused to remove North Korea from its "terrorism list" until North Korea verifies a list of nuclear assets that it had submitted to the five parties above, earlier.
In more worrisome news, North Korea accused South Korean naval ships of violating its territorial waters on the west coast and warned of a possible clash.
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