The government has urged a cautious approach on North Korea’s announcement that it has started to extract plutonium from spent fuel rods at its main nuclear facility in Yongbyon.

An official said Sunday that the government will react prudently since the North’s move was expected.

He said, however, that he cannot understand the North’s claim of reprocessing the rods for the second time in ten days because at least one month is needed to get the reprocessing facility up and running again.

The official added confirming the North’s claim is difficult since International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors were expelled from Yongbyon.