North Korea appears to have restarted plutonium reactor -think tank

WASHINGTON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - New commercial satellite imagery indicates North Korea has resumed operation of a reactor at its main nuclear site used to produce plutonium for its nuclear weapons program, a U.S. think tank said on Friday. Airbus Defense & Space and 38 North/Handout via REUTERS

Washington’s 38 North North Korea monitoring project said previous analysis from Jan. 18 showed signs that North Korea was preparing to restart the reactor at Yongbyon, having unloaded spent fuel rods for reprocessing to produce additional plutonium for its nuclear weapons stockpile. “Imagery from January 22 shows a water plume (most probably warm) originating from the cooling water outlet of the reactor, an indication that the reactor is very likely operating,” the report said, noting that most of the river remained frozen except where the warm water mixed. “Currents carry this mix downstream — visible as a plume of ice-free water.”

However, without being able to measure the water’s temperature rise or flow from the reactor, the report said it was impossible to estimate the power level the reactor was running at — “although it may be considerable.”

According to the earlier report by 38 North, operations at the Nyongbyon complex had been halted since late 2015.
New satellite imagery released by think tank 38 North indicates North Korea has resumed operations at its Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center in North Pyongan Province.