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| This image from 2008 shows Yongbyon before the main cooling tower was demolished when the reactor was taken offline. (Photo by= Reuters) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] SEOUL: A U.S. monitoring website has shared that North Korea appears to be continuing the operation of a plutonium-producing nuclear reactor at its mainstay Yongbyon complex, citing the release of steam and water seen in the latest satellite imagery.
38 North reported Wednesday (KST) that recent commercial satellite imagery of the complex north of Pyongyang provided further evidence of activity at the 5-megawatt reactor, which can produce up to 6 kilograms of plutonium, a fissile material used for a nuclear bomb, a year. "Steam is emanating from the reactor's generator hall, indicating that at least one of the generators is running," the website said. "Additionally, water continues to be discharged from the auxiliary pipe into the channel leading to the Kuryong River."
The website added that the new activity at the reactor is "notable, as production of fissile materials is likely needed to accomplish North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's goal of strengthening nuclear capabilities announced during the country's eighth party congress in January. Construction of a new wing south of the experimental light water reactor seems to continue, although there are no signs of operations starting at the facility, it noted. Meanwhile, the U.N. nuclear watchdog also pointed out nuclear activities at the nation's uranium enrichment and mine facility elsewhere.
