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SEOUL: North Korea confirmed Sunday that it has shut down its Yongbyon atomic reactor, the first step in a process designed to rid it of nuclear weapons.
"We shut down the nuclear facilities at Yongbyon and allowed the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) personnel to monitor it on the 14th, when the first shipment of 50,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil arrived," a foreign ministry spokesman told the official (North) Korean Central News Agency.
The agency's report emailed to AFP was the first confirmation from Pyongyang of the closure. The US State Department said earlier it had been informed by the North of the shutdown.
The shutdown of the reactor, which produces plutonium for nuclear weapons, was the first step in a six-nation February nuclear disarmament deal.
"We have fulfilled our promises in advance... which shows our commitment to the implementation of the agreement," the spokesman told KNCA. The North had earlier insisted on first receiving all 50,000 tonnes of fuel oil promised in compensation for the shutdown.
The first shipment of 6,200 tonnes arrived early Saturday in the North from South Korea. A 10-strong team of IAEA inspectors arrived the same day.
"The provision of such alternative energy as heavy fuel oil is not a charitable aid but a compensation for the shutdown of our nuclear facilities," the spokesman said.
"The IAEA activities in Yongbyon, which do not constitute an inspection, will be limited to verification and monitoring (the shutdown)." - AFP/yy
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