North Korea’s nuclear production disputed

SOUTH KOREA said yesterday there is no proof that North Korea has completed a key step toward the production of nuclear weapons, although the North reportedly claimed that it has.

The statement by Yoon Young-kwan, South Korea’s foreign minister, was the latest in a series of conflicting reports on North Korea’s nuclear activities. The communist nation expelled international inspectors in December, and the United States relies mainly on satellite images for clues about what is going on at its nuclear facilities.

“No scientific data or evidence has emerged to prove that North Korea started reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods at full scale or has completed the process,” said Yoon.