Report: North Korea Restarts Nuclear Plant

SEOUL, South Korea — A South Korean newspaper report says U.S. spy satellites have detected signs that North Korea has restarted its nuclear plant.

South Korea's mass-circulation Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported Wednesday that U.S. spy satellites have detected steam coming from a reprocessing facility at its main Yongbyon nuclear plant. The paper cited an unnamed South Korean government source.

The report came two days after the North carried out an underground nuclear test.

North Korea previously had said it was restarting the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel rods to harvest weapons-grade plutonium at the Yongbyon plant in protest over international criticism of its April 5 rocket launch. But it was unclear if the North had actually begun the reprocessing work.