North Korea may be trying to mine plutonium to make more nuclear weapons at its main atomic complex, recent satellite photos indicated, weeks after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un promised to expand its nuclear arsenal.
Website 38 North, which specializes in country studies, cited the images as an indication that the coal-fired plant at the Yongbyon nuclear complex was operational after a hiatus of about two years. Smoke could be observed coming out of the plant chimney several times in late February and early March.
This suggests that preparations for the reprocessing of spent fuel could be underway to extract the plutonium needed for a North Korean nuclear weapon, “the website said on Wednesday, adding that it could also simply mean that facilities are being prepared to handle radioactive waste.
Earlier in the week, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mariano Grossi, noted that some nuclear facilities in the country were still operating, citing operations at the plant that serves the radiochemical laboratory in Yongbyon. Plutonium is extracted in the laboratory by reprocessing spent fuel rods taken from reactors.
The DPRK’s nuclear activities remain a cause for serious concern. The continuation of the DPRK’s nuclear program is a clear violation of relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and is deeply regrettable, “Grossi told the IAEA board of governors, according to his website. DPRK stands for the official name of the DPRK. country, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Plutonium is one of the two key ingredients in making nuclear weapons, along with enriched uranium. The Yongbyon complex, located north of the capital Pyongyang, has facilities to produce both ingredients. It is not clear exactly how much plutonium suitable for these types of weapons or how much enriched uranium has been produced at the plant and where it is stored.
External estimates of the size of the North Korean arsenal vary. In 2018, a South Korean official said in parliament that the North could have between 20 and 60 bombs.
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