N. Korea making weapons-grade plutonium

SEOUL, June 13 (UPI) -- North Korea said Saturday it had turned more than a third of its spent plutonium rods into weapons-grade material and will add to its stockpile.

"The process of uranium enrichment will be commenced," the North Korean Foreign Ministry said of its intention of extracting more weapons-grade material from spent plutonium rods from its nuclear power reactors.

North Korea is believed to have enough plutonium to produce at least six nuclear bombs, western intelligence sources told Yonhap News Agency in a story published Saturday.

North Korea also denounced a U.N. Security Council resolution that tightened sanctions against it after a nuclear test May 25. The resolution calls for U.N. member states to inspect North Korean vessels suspected of carrying weapons materials.

"An attempted blockade of any kind by the United States and its followers will be regarded as an act of war and met with a decisive military response," a statement from the North Korean Foreign Ministry said.