Japan's Kyodo news agency has reported that plutonium production has resumed in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. 

Pyongyang says it is reprocessing spent fuel rods and has no plans to stop nuclear tests as long as perceived US threats remain.

The DPRK's Atomic Energy Institute said it is producing highly enriched uranium necessary for nuclear arms and power "as scheduled".

The statement tallies with claims made in June by the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, that the DPRK appeared to have reopened the Yongbyon nuclear plant.