North Korea to open a defunct nuclear plant

North Korea to open a defunct nuclear plant

April 2, 2013

In early April North Korea announced that it would resume production of enriched uranium at its Yongbyon nuclear plant to provide material for its weapons program and electricity. The plant had been mothballed since 2007 under the terms of an agreement reached in talks between North Korea, the United States, South Korea, China, Japan and Russia.

The recent April 2 announcement followed a March 31 meeting of Kim Jong Un's Worker's Party where plans to push forward the nation's economic development and nuclear armed forces were announced, according to CNN.

Weeks of tension
The latest announcement by North Korean officials is the newest event in a string of proactive actions undertaken by the communist nation during spring 2013. In March the North severed a key military hotline with their neighbors in democratic South Korea and declared the armistice than ended the Korean War void.

The South responded by hosting joint military exercises with the United States which culminated in B-2 stealth bombers capable of carrying conventional or nuclear weapons, F-22 Raptor stealth fighters and B-52s flying over South Korea's skies.

North Korea was already facing increased U.N. sanctions due to February 2013 nuclear tests.

Global response
International response to Pyongyang's recent announcement has been almost universally negative, according to reports. The United States announced that it takes the threat very seriously, but that it had not detected any new military mobilization or repositions of forces.

South Korea reacted most negatively to the announcement, noting that aggression on the part of its northern neighbor would be met with a strong response without regard to political considerations.

"(North Korea) is blackmailing the international community by suggesting that it will now produce weapons-grade, highly enriched uranium," said Korea Institute for Defense Analysis's North Korea expert Kim Jin Moo, according to The Globe and Mail.

China, North Korea's only major trading partner and diplomatic supporter, expressed rare disappointment with the announcement, with more than one public official referring to the decision as "regrettable," reported the Globe and Mail.

Yoshihide Suga, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary noted that the breach of agreement by North Korea was serious and would need to be dealt with expeditiously and in a serious manner.

Pleas for peace
"Things must calm down, as this situation, made worse by the lack of communication, could lead down a path that nobody should want to follow," said South Korean born U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said, while calling for increased dialog and negotiation to step down the burgeoning crisis on the Korean peninsula.

Ban offered to facilitate talks between the parties.

People worldwide can facilitate their own talks with friends and family about the escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula by using international calling cards.

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North Korea to open a defunct nuclear plant

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