North Korea confirmed Tuesday that it has restarted its Yongbyon reactor and will continue stockpiling nuclear weapons, according to The Washington Post. Along with that announcement came a bold threat to the United States.

“If the U.S. and other hostile forces persistently seek their reckless, hostile policy towards the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] and behave mischievously, the DPRK is fully ready to cope with them with nuclear weapons any time," said the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

Experts that monitor the area via satellite have found the site to be warmer than its surrounding in the thermal imagery, all but confirming that the nuclear reactor is indeed up and running. Though threats like this have been routine in the past, a former American diplomat says this threat should be taken seriously.

“Behind the standard rhetoric, there is a substantive message,” Joel Wit said. “It’s hard to tell exactly what’s going on, but it looks like North Korea is about to start, or has already started, to produce more material for nuclear weapons.”

The Obama administration has sicced its State Department dog on the communist country, unleashing its favored tactic -- a statement. Katina Adams said, "We call on North Korea to refrain from irresponsible provocations that aggravate regional tensions, and to instead focus on fulfilling its international obligations and commitments."

Yeah, that oughta do it.

In the meantime, North Korea has plans to launch a long-range rocket they say is strictly for its space research program. The launch tower has been spotted and confirmed by satellite. As The Post noted, any launch would be viewed as in violation of U.N agreements, especially in light of these threats and the known desire of North Korea to manufacture an intercontinental ballistic missile it would gladly point towards the U.S. coast.