N.Korea seeks more plutonium for nuclear arms

A North Korean official said his country will soon unload fuel rods from a nuclear reactor to make plutonium for weapons, seeking to pressure Washington into direct talks, a visiting U.S. scholar said. Selig Harrison, back from a visit to North Korea, told a Beijing news conference he had met Kim Kye-gwan, Pyongyang's top negotiator at stalled six-party talks on its nuclear ambitions. "He did make clear that the purpose of unloading the fuel was to obtain more plutonium for nuclear weapons," Harrison said, noting the material could make "enough plutonium for 3 to 6 nuclear weapons." The U.S. State Department warned North Korea against provocative actions and urged it to return to the talks.