North Korea fires a nuclear missile capable of reaching the US territory of Guam
North Korea has suspended nuclear reactor operations at its main nuclear complex, likely to obtain plutonium that could be used in weapons by reprocessing used fuel rods, a South Korean report said on Thursday (5), citing a government source.
Operation of the 5megawatt nuclear reactor at the Yongbyon nuclear complex has been suspended since late September, according to intelligence assessments from U.S. and South Korean authorities, the report said.
“South Korea and the US believe this could be a sign that reprocessing work is being carried out to obtain weaponsgrade plutonium,” a government source said, according to the Donga Ilbo newspaper.
Reprocessing spent fuel removed from a nuclear reactor is a step before plutonium recovery. The Yongbyon nuclear complex is North Korea’s main source of plutonium, which was likely used to build nuclear weapons.
North Korea also operates uranium enrichment facilities, a separate source of materials that could be used for nuclear weapons.
“The possibility of a nuclear test by North Korea is not ruled out,” a senior administration official told the newspaper, without elaborating on what analysis suggested the assessment that the action may be related to a nuclear test.
South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Jeon Hagyu declined to comment on the details of the report, but said U.S. and South Korean intelligence agencies are closely monitoring related developments.
North Korea has conducted six underground nuclear tests and there have been concerns since last year that it could be on the verge of another test.