[ ABC ] North Korea appears to have reactivated Yongbyon nuclear plant, atomic watchdog IAEA says
North Korea appears to have restarted a nuclear reactor that is widely believed to have produced plutonium for nuclear weapons, the UN atomic watchdog has said in an annual report.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has had no access to North Korea since Pyongyang expelled its inspectors in 2009.
The country then pressed ahead with its nuclear weapons program and soon resumed nuclear testing. Its last nuclear test was in 2017.
The IAEA now monitors North Korea from afar, largely through satellite imagery
“There were no indications of reactor operation from early December 2018 to the beginning of July 2021,” the IAEA report said of the 5-megawatt reactor at Yongbyon, a nuclear complex at the heart of North Korea’s nuclear program.
“However, since early July 2021, there have been indications, including the discharge of cooling water, consistent with the operation of the reactor.”
DPA Notes: North Korea is out of the spotlight for too long, Kim Jong-Un would definitely want to get some attention back on North Korea in order to get new concessions or to lift the sanctions current imposed on the regime. Restarting the nuclear reactor is one of the best way to get attention along with missile testings.