It appears North Korea has resumed operation of its plutonium-producing reactor at Yongbyon to an extent that could allow the lone country to expand its arsenal of nuclear weapons, the UN atomic agency said.
The development, disclosed in the agency’s annual report on North Korea’s nuclear activities, adds a new challenge to President Biden’s foreign policy agenda, along with the dangerous withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan and the United States. stagnant talks on the restoration of the 2015 agreement on the Iranian nuclear program.
“Since early July, there have been indications, including the discharge of cooling water, consistent with the operation of the reactor,” the International Atomic Energy Agency report said.
The Yongbyon reactor appeared to be idle from December 2018 until early July 2021, according to the report. He added that the signs explaining that the reactor is running coincide with indications that North Korea is also using a nearby laboratory to separate plutonium from spent fuel that had previously been removed from the reactor.
The agency, whose inspectors were expelled from North Korea in 2009, described the twins as “deeply concerned” and as a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions.