North Korea producing weapons grade plutonium and uranium: US think tank
US-based Institute for Science and International Security says North Korea is processing fissile material at its Yongbyon complex but it cannot determine volume produced
Recent satellite images of North Korea’s main nuclear complex suggest continued activity focused on the production of both weapons-grade plutonium and uranium, a US think-tank said on Thursday.
The June 30 images of the Yongbyon complex show water being discharged from its ageing five megawatt reactor – a product of the secondary cooling system, the Institute for Science and International Security said in a report.
“However, without more data, such as regular steam production, it is hard to determine the operational status of the reactor and thus to estimate the amount of plutonium produced,” the report said.
The reactor, shut down in 2007 under an aid-for-disarmament accord, is capable of producing 6kg of plutonium a year – enough for one nuclear bomb.
North Korea began renovating the facility after its last nuclear test last year, and previous satellite images suggested it became operational in October that year.
The latest imagery also showed continued construction at the complex’s gas centrifuge plant.
