North Korea said on Tuesday it will stop disabling its nuclear facilities and consider restoring the Yongbyon reactor that can make material for atomic bombs, accusing the United States of violating a disarmament deal.
"We have decided to immediately suspend disabling our nuclear facilities," the North's KCNA news agency quoted a foreign ministry official as saying.
"This measure has been effective on August 14 and related parties have been notified of it," the official said.
Analysts said that given North Korea's deep reluctance to give up its nuclear weapons program -- the one powerful negotiating card it has with the outside world -- its latest move was no big surprise.
"North Korea is trying to muddle through and delay as much as possible," said Lee Dong-bok, a senior associate at the CSIS think tank in Seoul. "At the same time, this is a last ditch effort trying to somehow influence U.S. presidential politics."
The KCNA announcement coincided with the start of the U.S. Democratic Party's convention to choose its presidential candidate.
It also came just after Chinese President Hu Jintao, whose government is the nearest the reclusive North has to an ally, flew out of Seoul after two days of talks with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak. Lee came to office earlier this year with a promise to get tough on the North if it did not move towards giving up its nuclear weapons ambitions.
"I think the timing of the Hu Jintao visit to South Korea was very depressing to the North Koreans," Lee Dong-bok at CSIS said.
"We have decided to immediately suspend disabling our nuclear facilities," the North's KCNA news agency quoted a foreign ministry official as saying.
"This measure has been effective on August 14 and related parties have been notified of it," the official said.
Analysts said that given North Korea's deep reluctance to give up its nuclear weapons program -- the one powerful negotiating card it has with the outside world -- its latest move was no big surprise.
"North Korea is trying to muddle through and delay as much as possible," said Lee Dong-bok, a senior associate at the CSIS think tank in Seoul. "At the same time, this is a last ditch effort trying to somehow influence U.S. presidential politics."
The KCNA announcement coincided with the start of the U.S. Democratic Party's convention to choose its presidential candidate.
It also came just after Chinese President Hu Jintao, whose government is the nearest the reclusive North has to an ally, flew out of Seoul after two days of talks with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak. Lee came to office earlier this year with a promise to get tough on the North if it did not move towards giving up its nuclear weapons ambitions.
"I think the timing of the Hu Jintao visit to South Korea was very depressing to the North Koreans," Lee Dong-bok at CSIS said.
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