Producing plutonium will allow the country to expand its arsenal of nuclear weapons.
Wall Street Journal report on findings of the UN Atomic Agency:
- “Since early July, there have been indications, including the discharge of cooling water, consistent with the operation of the reactor,” said the report by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
- and there are indications that North Korea is also using a nearby laboratory to separate plutonium from spent fuel previously removed from the reactor.
The agency described the twin developments as “deeply troubling” and a clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.
North Korea’s plutonium-producing reactor is at Yongbyon
- appeared to have been inactive from December 2018 until the beginning of July 2021
