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CNN Live Today

North Korea Expelling Atomic Energy Inspectors

Aired December 27, 2002 - 10:16   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(AUDIO GAP)
SOHN JIE-AE, CNN SEOUL BUREAU CHIEF: ... removed all of the monitoring equipment from its nuclear power plant. And now, with these inspectors leaving, it effectively cuts out anyway for the outside world to monitor North Korea's nuclear activities.

This is very disturbing, because also in this letter, North Korea says that it is getting ready to reactivate a research laboratory that has been known in the past to reprocess the spent fuel rods that are coming out of the nuclear power plants into weapons-grade plutonium.

So, with this move, North Korea has now upped the ante once again on what is now being called the nuclear brinksmanship on the Korean Peninsula -- Daryn (sic).

WHITFIELD: Sohn Jie-Ae, thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.






Aired December 27, 2002 - 10:16   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(AUDIO GAP)
SOHN JIE-AE, CNN SEOUL BUREAU CHIEF: ... removed all of the monitoring equipment from its nuclear power plant. And now, with these inspectors leaving, it effectively cuts out anyway for the outside world to monitor North Korea's nuclear activities.

This is very disturbing, because also in this letter, North Korea says that it is getting ready to reactivate a research laboratory that has been known in the past to reprocess the spent fuel rods that are coming out of the nuclear power plants into weapons-grade plutonium.

So, with this move, North Korea has now upped the ante once again on what is now being called the nuclear brinksmanship on the Korean Peninsula -- Daryn (sic).

WHITFIELD: Sohn Jie-Ae, thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.