UN directs closure of Korean reactor

NORTH Korea yesterday confirmed it had shut down its Yongbyon atomic reactor under UN supervision, the first step in a process designed to rid the communist state of nuclear weapons.

The closure of the facility, which produces plutonium for nuclear weapons, is the first step taken by Pyongyang towards ending its atomic programme since 2002, and the first phase of a six-nation disarmament deal reached in February.

The US, South Korea and Russia — parties to the six-nation talks with the North along with China and Japan — welcomed the move, but Washington said more needed to be done to speed up the disarmament process.