Defector vital in uncovering nuke program

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Defector vital in uncovering nuke program

TOKYO -- The testimony of a North Korean defector was vital in revealing the North's covert nuclear development program, the Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun reported yesterday.

The Yomiuri said that a North Korean technician who worked at the North's uranium enrichment facility told South Korean intelligence officials that the program started in 1998. The man, who defected to the South last year, reportedly provided the specific location of the nuclear facility.

Seoul officials put little trust in the information at first, assuming that the North did not have the means to acquire the technology needed for the project. But given the specificity of the information, they informed the United States in January.

The Americans reviewed photos taken by reconnaissance satellites and strengthened surveillance. Washington later concluded that the facilities in question were nuclear sites and that Pakistan provided the centrifuges to enrich the uranium.

by Oh Day-young

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