The Yongbyon reactor, which produces atomic raw material to make bombs, "was shut down for about 10 days but resumed operations recently," a spokesman for the National Intelligence Service told the news agency without elaborating.
The five-megawatt plant apparently suspended operations due to mechanical problems, an intelligence official was quoted by Yonhap news agency as saying.
The official dismissed a media report that the North may be preparing either for a permanent shutdown under a February disarmament accord, or for the extraction of spent fuel rods for reprocessing into weapons-grade plutonium.
"We believe the operation of the reactor was halted because of a mechanical problem," the official said. "It is not seen as having anything to do with the North's commitment to the February 13 deal."
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