North Korea Reactor Restarted, According To Satellite Images [Video]
A North Korean nuclear reactor has restarted, according to recent satellite imagery of the area. A US researcher institute announced their findings on Thursday, saying that the secretive nation could be looking to increase its stockpile of weapons-grade plutonium.
Commercial satellite images of the Yongbyon nuclear facility from August 31 show two plumes of steam rising from a turbine building next to the reactor.
The steam is an essential byproduct of the reactor’s operation, according to The Washington Post. The report added that the steam suggests the “electrical generating system is about to come online.”
The report was released by US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. The North Korean reactor’s signs of life are happening five months after the reclusive nation stated it would restart key operations at the facility.
North Korea built the reactor in the 1980s, but agreed to shut it down in 1994, notes CNN. However, the reactor was restarted in 2002 and disabled yet again in 2007 following a six-party agreement between China, the United States, North and South Korea, Japan, and Russia.
KCNA, the country’s state-run news agency, announced in April that the reactor would be returned to operation yet again. In the announcement, North Korea explained that it would be “readjusting and restarting all the nuclear facilities” in Yongbyon. It now appears that the North has fulfilled its promise.
Along with resuming operations, satellite images also show that North Korea may have expanded a building that is used in the uranium enrichment process. The expansions and developments at the facility could help the nation expand its plutonium stock, along with producing more highly enriched uranium for nuclear weapons.
The apparent restart could raise tensions with South Korea and the United States. North Korea’s reactor resuming operations could also result in more international pressure for Pyongyang to freeze its nuclear program yet again.
[Image via ShutterStock]
