Nuclear Facility Operation

[Anchor Lead]

The South Korean military has found that North Korea's missile launch site in Dongchang-ri is now in operation. It has also identified that North Korean nuclear facilities in addition to Yongbyon are also operating. South Korea believes that uranium enrichment is underway at these facilities.

[Pkg]

North Korea is now operating additional nuclear facilities in addition to Yongbyon. There are possibilities that North Korea's missile launch site in Dongchang-ri has been restored for normal operations. These are opinions conveyed by multiple intelligence sources. These sources said that the South Korean military has observed North Korea's moves to restore a missile launch pad in Dongchang-ri. It also believes that uranium enrichment is underway at the additional nuclear facilities. The sources added that the growth in additional facilities aren't just limited to certain regions but refer to North Korea's entire weapons of mass destruction capabilities. These remarks hint that the North is making simultaneous moves across the board. The military previously said that it is closely monitoring North Korean nuclear facilities.

[Soundbite] Kim Joon-rak(Joint Chiefs of Staff) : "We are conducting analysis with various possibilities in mind. We are also closely monitoring and observing all North Korean moves, including possible preparations for a missile launch."

But this is the first confirmation that the military is keeping a close eye on North Korea's operation of additional nuclear facilities and moves to restore itsmissile launch pad. But the sources said it is too early to conclude that the North really intends to launch missiles through the restoration of the launch pad. Despite the collapse of the North Korea-U.S. summit in Hanoi, both Pyongyang and Washington assessed that the meeting itself was an achievement. However, analysts say that through its recent moves, North Korea apparently wants to demonstrate that tensions could escalate again at any time if an agreement is not achieved in future negotiations.