North Korea steps up pressure on U.N. nuclear watchdog

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea hinted Saturday it would remove seals and surveillance cameras from its nuclear facilities on its own if the United Nations' nuclear watchdog doesn't do so immediately.

Pyongyang announced Thursday that it will revive its frozen nuclear facilities to generate badly needed electricity and asked the International Atomic Energy Agency to remove the seals and surveillance cameras that have been in place since 1994.

North Korea reiterated its demand that for the removal of surveillance seals and cameras "at the earliest possible date" in a letter by Ri Je Son, director-general of the North's General Department of Atomic Energy, to IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei.

"If the IAEA fails to expeditiously take measures to meet our request, we will take necessary measures unilaterally," the letter said.

The IAEA has asked North Korea to act with restraint and cooperate with inspections. Agency spokeswoman Melissa Fleming confirmed that the letter was received and said that ElBaradei will review it and reply to the North Koreans later Saturday.

The response "will spell out more clearly Mr. Elbaradei's appeal not to act unilaterally -- emphasizing the vital importance of maintaining the seals and surveillance equipment at these facilities," Fleming said.

The North Korean nuclear program was suspended under a 1994 deal with Washington, averting a possible war on the Korean Peninsula. Under the pact, North Korea agreed to freeze the plutonium program in return for two modern, light-water reactors built by a U.S.-led consortium and 500,000 tons of heavy oil a year until the reactors are built.

In the latest letter, North Korea again accused the United States of violating the agreement by halting fuel oil shipments.

U.S. officials say the North Koreans told them that they had another nuclear weapons program, and the United States and its allies halted oil shipments beginning in December.

Also Saturday, Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and South Korean President Kim Dae-jung agreed to jointly seek peaceful means to get North Korea to reverse its decision.

"The two leaders said they found North Korea's decision to lift its nuclear freeze and its statement to IAEA extremely regrettable, and agreed to urge the North to reverse its decision," Koizumi's spokeswoman, Misako Kaji, said.

The leaders also reaffirmed importance to continue their three-way cooperation with the United States, while separately seeking resolution through their own channels.