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American Morning

North Korea Boots Inspectors

Aired December 27, 2002 - 09:05   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We turn to another hot spot. That is North Korea, turning to the nuclear showdown there. A defiant Pyongyang saying it is kicking out inspectors from the IAEA. If that happens, there will be no outside monitoring as North Korea restarts its nuclear plants.
Sohn Jie-Ae is live in Seoul -- in Seoul, South Korea with more on that -- Jie-Ae, hello.

SOHN JIE-AE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: hello, Daryn. North Korea has sent a letter to the Vienna-based IAEA saying that its nuclear inspectors are no longer needed in North Korea. They say because it has decided to reactivate the nuclear power plant in Yongbyon, the IAEA inspectors' mission to monitor the freeze on the power plant has automatically come to an end.

In the same letter, the North Koreans also said they would be reactivating a research laboratory in the nuclear unit which is suspected of possibly being able to reprocess the spent fuel rods into weapons-grade plutonium.

So with this move, North Korea has taken one more step towards reactivating its power plant and also upping the nuclear crisis here on the Korean peninsula -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Sohn Jie-Ae in Seoul, South Korea. 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 - 09:05   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We turn to another hot spot. That is North Korea, turning to the nuclear showdown there. A defiant Pyongyang saying it is kicking out inspectors from the IAEA. If that happens, there will be no outside monitoring as North Korea restarts its nuclear plants.
Sohn Jie-Ae is live in Seoul -- in Seoul, South Korea with more on that -- Jie-Ae, hello.

SOHN JIE-AE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: hello, Daryn. North Korea has sent a letter to the Vienna-based IAEA saying that its nuclear inspectors are no longer needed in North Korea. They say because it has decided to reactivate the nuclear power plant in Yongbyon, the IAEA inspectors' mission to monitor the freeze on the power plant has automatically come to an end.

In the same letter, the North Koreans also said they would be reactivating a research laboratory in the nuclear unit which is suspected of possibly being able to reprocess the spent fuel rods into weapons-grade plutonium.

So with this move, North Korea has taken one more step towards reactivating its power plant and also upping the nuclear crisis here on the Korean peninsula -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Sohn Jie-Ae in Seoul, South Korea. 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