S' Korea believes Pyongyang halted nuclear reactor to extract plutonium for weapons

South Korean authorities believe that North Korea is likely extracting plutonium to be used for weapons by reprocessing spent fuel rods after it halted the nuclear reactor at its main atomic complex.

According to a government source cited by the South Korean Donga Ilbo newspaper on October 5, the operation of the 5 megawatt nuclear reactor at the North's Yongbyon nuclear complex has been suspended since late September.

This was concluded by intelligence assessment by the US and South Korean authorities. "South Korea and the US believe this could be a sign of reprocessing work being done to obtain weapons-grade plutonium", the publication reported, according to Reuters.

The reprocessing of spent fuel rods removed from a nuclear reactor is the step prior to plutonium being extracted. The Yongbyon nuclear complex is Pyongyang's main source of plutonium that it likely has used to build nuclear weapons.

"The possibility of a nuclear test by North Korea is not ruled out", Donga Ilbo quoted a senior government official as saying but did not reveal what analysis pointed to the assessment the move may be related to a nuclear test.