FACTBOX - North Korea's ageing Yongbyon nuclear complex
(Reuters) - North Korea said on Friday it would restore its nuclear plant and did not wish to be taken off a U.S. terrorism blacklist, a reward it would be given if it abided by a disarmament deal, indicating it was stepping away from the pact.
Following are some facts about the North's Soviet-era Yongbyon nuclear complex.
LOCATION
- Yongbyon is about 100 km (60 miles) north of Pyongyang and is built in a clearing in the rugged mountain ranges of the North Pyongan province.
THE FACILITIES
- The complex consists of a five-megawatt reactor, a fuel fabrication facility and a plutonium reprocessing plant, where weapons-grade material could be extracted from spent fuel rods.
- The site also contains a 50-megawatt reactor whose construction was suspended under a 1994 nuclear deal with the United States. The reactor is nowhere near completion.
DISABLEMENT
- The North started taking apart the three main working facilities at Yongbyon in November 2007 in steps overseen by U.S. inspectors. It toppled the reactor's cooling tower in June, saying it was a show of its commitment to the nuclear deal.
THE TALLY
- U.S. officials said the North has produced about 50 kg (110 lb) of plutonium, which proliferation experts said conservatively would be enough for six to eight nuclear weapons.
ESCALATION OF TENSION
- In February 2005, North Korea declared for the first time it had nuclear weapons. It conducted its first nuclear test with a plutonium-based device in October 2006.
Sources: Reuters, Centre for Non-proliferation Studies, intelligence reports, Congressional Research Service, South Korean Foreign Ministry)
(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz and Jack Kim; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)
