North Korea says it has started the reprocessing of spent fuel rods at its main nuclear complex in Yongbyon.

A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman made the announcement in an interview with the North's official Korean Central News Agency Saturday.

The spokesman said the move was in line with the Foreign Ministry's announcement on April 14th in which it said it will seek to reactivate its nuclear facilities.

He said the fuel rod reprocessing will contribute to bolstering the North's nuclear deterrent for self-defense in the face of increased military threats from hostile forces.

North Korea threatened to boycott the six-nation nuclear talks and restart the Yongbyon nuclear plant after the U.N. Security Council denounced the North's April fifth rocket launch in a presidential statement.