New | North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear facility may be idle again

North Korea may have shut down a recently restarted reactor that can yield plutonium for bombs, possibly for renovation or partial refuelling, a US security institute said, citing new satellite imagery.

North Korea announced in April last year that it would revive its aged 5-megawatt research reactor at the Yongbyon nuclear complex, saying it was seeking a deterrent capacity.

The isolated country, which quit the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty two decades ago, defends its nuclear-arms programme as a "treasured sword" to counter what it sees as US-led hostility.

On Thursday, So Se-pyong, North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, said Pyongyang was ready to resume the so-called six-party talks and was not planning a nuclear or missile test.

The US responded that Pyongyang must first take meaningful steps towards denuclearisation and refrain from provocative acts.

Early last month, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in an annual report on North Korea that it had seen via satellite imagery releases of steam and water indicating that the Yongbyon reactor might be operating.