North Korea has apparently restarted construction of a once-dormant nuclear reactor that, if completed, would “dramatically increase” its capacity to manufacture plutonium for nuclear weapons, according to a sourced report combined with recent satellite images obtained by CNN.
North Korea has apparently restarted construction of a once-dormant nuclear reactor that, if completed, would “dramatically increase” its capacity to manufacture plutonium for nuclear weapons, according to a sourced report combined with recent satellite images obtained by CNN.
The above-Earth images covered April and May 2022 and seemingly indicate that North Korea — one of only four countries on the United States’ “sponsors of terror” list — has resumed constructing the second core reactor at its Yongbyon nuclear complex “after years of inactivity,” citing experts at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies who analyzed the satellite photos.
This assessment coincides with leader Kim Jong Un’s reported vow from last week to advance North Korea’s nuclear program.
The second reactor at Yongbyon is approximately 10 times as large as the original reactor, which had been operating since the late 1980s.
Once operational, the second Yongbyon reactor could potentially enable North Korea to increase its plutonium production for nuclear weapons “by a factor of 10,” according to Jeffrey Lewis, a weapons expert and professor at the Middlebury Institute.
Despite the apparent construction renewal, a Pentagon spokesman, Lt. Col. Martin Meiners, declined to comment on whether North Korea has cemented plans of significantly upgrading its Yongbyon reactor cores.
“However, we’ve been very clear on the threat posed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) nuclear and missile programs, our commitment to the defense of the ROK, Japan, and the U.S. homeland, and our shared objective of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” Meiners said.
Reporting by Newsmax.
