N. Korea may have reactivated nuclear reactor

Recent satellite pictures suggest that North Korea could have quietly restarted one of its key nuclear reactors, a US think tank said.

According to a report (PDF) released Wednesday by the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), satellite images of the Yongbyon nuclear complex show signs of renewed activity.

Analysts discovered patterns of melted snow on the reactor and turbine buildings at Yongbyon, suggesting that the reactor’s interior may be discharging heated water.

The report also highlighted images of a weak stream of warm water being evacuated from the reactor’s discharge pipeline, as well as what appeared to be steam rising from the turbine building.

The report analyzed recent images of the facility, taken in January though March, against satellite imagery from August and September of last year.

While ISIS said that the images “do not show clear evidence that the reactor has resumed full power operation,” they did suggest that the reactor “may be operating at low power or operating intermittently”.

When fully operational, the five-megawatt Yongbyon reactor can yield six kilos (13 pounds) of plutonium a year, enough for one nuclear bomb.

North Korea shut down the facility under the international six-party talks aimed at reining in its nuclear program in 2007, but reopened the facility in 2013, ostensibly in order to conduct renovations.

According to a recent study by joint US researchers, North Korea already has hundreds of ballistic missiles that can target its neighbors in Northeast Asia and likely has enough fissile material for at least 10 nuclear weapons.

Far exceeding any US estimates, Chinese experts claim that North Korea may already posses 20 nuclear warheads and could possibly create enough weapons-grade plutonium to double its arsenal by next year, according to a Wall Street Journal report last week.

AFP contributed to this report.