posted on Dec, 17 2002 @ 03:09 AM
North Korea has purchased a large shipment of chemicals from China that can be used to make nuclear-weapons fuel, U.S. intelligence officials say.
North Korean procurement agents succeeded in buying 20 tons of tributyl phosphate, known as TBP, a key chemical used to extract material for nuclear
bombs from spent nuclear fuel, said officials familiar with intelligence reports of the transfer.
The officials said the chemical also can be used in commercial processes, such as making plastics, ink and paint.
U.S. intelligence agencies, however, believe North Korea will use the TBP for its plutonium-based nuclear-weapons program, based on sensitive
intelligence information, the officials said.
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