The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says North Korea has restarted its nuclear facility at Yongbyon, North Korea.
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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has no access to North Korea and mainly monitors its activities by satellite, said a year ago it had seen signs of a resumption of activity at Yongbyon.
Satellite imagery analysis of the site, published by 38 North on May 31, also showed similar evidence of probable plutonium production at the facility. “We can not state for sure, but we have indications of certain activities through the satellite imagery”.
IAEA chief Yukiya Amano told a news conference in Vienna on Monday that there have been indications of renewed plutonium reprocessing activities at Yongbyon. “So they are repeating that process”, the official said.
However, some weapons experts believe that Pyongyang may have more advanced weapons-delivery systems than conventional pundits suggest, citing the fact that North Korea’s ballistic missile tests have focused on specific components of the delivery system, in an effort by the regime to maintain the secrecy of their weapons capabilities.
At the same time, exhaust plumes were seen coming from the lab’s thermal plant and coal pens adjoining the plant appeared filled to capacity, it said.
According to the statement, a lack of activity and steam generation at the Yongbyon main reactor indicated that it had either been shut down or had been operating at a low level. In this instance, “reprocessing” refers to the extraction of plutonium from irradiated uranium fuel. He also informed the US Senate Armed Services Committee that Pyongyang had expanded its uranium enrichment facility at the site. “The agency remains ready to contribute to the peaceful resolution of the DPRK nuclear issue by resuming its verification activities once a political agreement is reached among countries concerned”, he said.
Amano’s comments tally with those of the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University last week.
The latest developments suggest North Korea’s reclusive regime is working to ensure a steady supply of materials for its drive to build warheads, despite tightened worldwide sanctions after its fourth nuclear test in January.
That and its multiple missile tests broke existing global sanctions and provoked further measures from the United Nations and individual countries.
“Everything in North Korea is a cause for concern”, a senior State Department official was quoted as saying. The statement was made ahead of the joint US-South Korean military drills that were held from March 7 to April 30.
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Russia’s intentions are not fully clear, however, as the Russian Foreign Ministry in May criticized North Korea, saying if North Korea pursues certain future courses, that the country “will create worldwide legal grounds for using military force against itself in accordance with the right of a state to self-defense enshrined in the United Nations Charter”.
