New satellite photos trigger more warnings: North Korea could mine plutonium

North Korea could be trying to extract plutonium to make more nuclear weapons in its main atomic complexaccording to recent satellite photos, weeks after North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un pledged to expand his nuclear arsenal.

The website 38 North, who specializes in country studies, cited the images as an indication that Yongbyon nuclear complex coal-fired steam plant was operational after an outage of about two years. Smoke could be observed coming out of the factory chimney on several occasions in late February and early March.

This suggests that “preparations for reprocessing fuel could be underway to extract the plutonium needed for a North Korean nuclear weaponThe website said Wednesday.

The analysis added that “it could also simply mean that the 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 continued to operate, citing the operations of the plant that serves the Yongbyon radiochemical laboratory. Plutonium is extracted in the laboratory by reprocessing spent fuel rods extracted from reactors.

“The nuclear activities of the DPRK (North Korea) remain a source of serious concern. The continuation of the DPRK’s nuclear program is a flagrant violation of relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and is deeply regrettable, ”Grossi told the IAEA Board of Governors, according to its website.

The Plutonium is one of the two key ingredients in the manufacture of nuclear weapons, along with enriched uranium.

The Yongbyon complex, located north of the capital Pyongyang, has facilities to produce both ingredients. It is not known exactly how much plutonium is suitable for these types of weapons or how much enriched uranium was 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 told parliament that the North may have between 20 and 60 bombs.

(With AP information)

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