By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter
North Korea revealed in its nuclear declaration last week that it used 26 kilograms of plutonium for manufacturing weapons, according to a new report.
That amount might have been sufficient to create possibly three and as many as eight nuclear bombs, reported Tokyo Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper.
One nuclear weapon could contain roughly 4 to 8 kilograms of the weapons-grade plutonium, depending on the technical expertise used in the nuclear program.
The report said North Korea, in all, had produced 38.5 kilograms of plutonium. From that amount, 26 kilograms were used for manufacturing nuclear bombs and 2 kilograms were used in the October 2006 nuclear test. An additional 2 kilograms represented waste materials, the report said, citing sources from participants in six-party talks.
Separately, Kyodo News offered slightly different numbers. It reported that Pyongyang acknowledged in its nuclear declaration that it collected some 30 kilograms of weapon-usable plutonium and used 2 kilograms in its October 2006 nuclear test blast.
The Kyodo report said North Korea's total plutonium holdings, including unextracted material in used fuel rods and material that remains in facilities at Yongbyon nuclear site, total 44 kilograms.
The State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack, speaking to reporters during a press briefing Wednesday in Washington, said it might be possible for the United States and member countries in the denuclearization talks to make North Korea's 60-page declaration papers available to the public in coming days.
U.S. President George W. Bush said this week that North Korea needs to continue to cooperate in the upcoming verification process for its nuclear declaration, according to U.S. media reports.
President Bush welcomed North Korea's move to submit a long-delayed declaration of its nuclear program but he also noted: ``However, I still remain skeptical. `Show the evidence' is our strong demand toward Pyongyang."
Bush said that ``If North Korea is found to have failed to keep all the promises it had pledged for a 45-day period, we will send it a warning of serious consequences."