Reuters reported that North Korea was moving briskly ahead with the construction of an experimental light water reactor and uranium enrichment and that it was willing to prove the peaceful nature of its program through the UN nuclear agency.

North Korea has called for the resumption of international talks aimed at compensating it in return for giving up its nuclear weapons program but the United States and South Korea have demanded Pyongyang's action to implement disarmament steps.

The North's Foreign Ministry spokesman said that "The construction of experimental LWR and the low enrichment uranium for the provision of raw materials are progressing apace. It renewed a call for the resumption of the six-way nuclear talks and said it can convince the world of the peaceful nature of those activities through the International Atomic Energy Agency.”

The talks broke down in 2008 when the North rejected a demand by the South and the United States for intrusive inspections to verify steps under a 2005 disarmament accord.

Negotiators from the North and the United States met last month for discussions aimed at seeking a way back into the talks with US officials reporting progress but there was no breakthrough on resuming the stalled negotiations.

Mr Kim Jong il North's leader repeated his call for the resumption of the talks last month, which his country walked out of more than two years ago. Uranium enrichment would give the North a second path to make an atomic bomb along with its plutonium program.

Analysts believe the 2005 disarmament deal remains vague on the North's obligations regarding uranium in a potential loophole that Pyongyang would use to push ahead with it.

(Sourced from Reuters)