(VOVworld) – North Korea has restarted production of plutonium fuel, a senior US State Department official said on Tuesday, a move which shows that North Korea plans to pursue its nuclear weapons program in defiance of international sanctions. The US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the US is worried by the new plutonium effort, but he offered no explicit word on any US response.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said last year it had seen signs of a resumption of activity at the Yongbyon nuclear site.