N. Korea reprocessing spent nuclear rods

Reprocessing the rods, which were unloaded from the nuclear reactor in Yongbyon, 60 miles north of Pyongyang, the capital, "will contribute to bolstering the nuclear deterrence for self-defense in every way to cope with the increasing military threats from the hostile forces," an unidentified North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman told the nation's official news agency.

Reassembling the partly disabled Yongbyon complex to its operational state could take at least several months. But specialists and officials in Seoul have said North Korea could have quickly reopened the reprocessing plant to produce plutonium from thousands of spent fuel rods. Specialists say the rods can yield enough plutonium for one or two bombs.

The announcement was made hours after the United Nations Security Council placed three North Korean companies on a UN blacklist for aiding North Korea's missile and nuclear programs.

North Korea flouted international warnings and launched a long-range rocket on April 5. That has since led to a string of international actions and North Korean reactions. On April 13, the Security Council unanimously condemned the rocket-launching, widely seen as a test of long-range ballistic missile technology, and called for tightened sanctions against North Korea.

North Korea insists that the rocket-launching was part of a peaceful space program.

In response to the council's actions, North Korea has expelled UN monitors and quit talks aimed at getting the North to dismantle its nuclear facilities. It also vowed to restart its nuclear weapons program, which had been frozen under a deal with the United States, China, South Korea, Japan, and Russia.

Hours before the North Korean announcement yesterday, the Security Council's sanctions committee announced a list of goods to be denied to North Korea and North Korean entities to be blacklisted under Security Council Resolution 1718, which was passed in 2006 after the North's nuclear test.

The blacklisting, which took place Friday in New York, prohibits UN member nations from doing business with the three firms and obligates nations to freeze their assets.