IAEA confirms N Korea reactor shutdown

Bangkok: Inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency have confirmed North Korea has shut down its nuclear reactor, IAEA chief Mohamed El Baradei said on Monday.

"The reactor has been shut down," he told reporters in Bangkok. "We have verified the shutdown of the reactor."

The next step of a complicated process that would take time to finalise was to verify other North Korean nuclear facilities had been shut down and rendered harmless, El Baradei said.

"After tomorrow, we will be able to report, hopefully, that all of the five facilities have been shut down," he said.

"The next step, obviously, will be through the six-party talks, how to disable the facilities, when (North Korea) will come through with an inventory of all its nuclear materials and
facilities," he added.

"That, obviously, will take some time. It's a complicated process" involving IAEA verification of those materials and facilities, El Baradei said.