South Korea’s Defense Ministry said Thursday it is “closely monitoring” a North Korean nuclear reactor after reports emerged of its temporary shutdown, possibly to extract weapons-grade plutonium.
Intelligence sources in Seoul and Washington discovered signs that the five-megawatt reactor at the Yongbyon laboratory temporarily stopped operating in late September, South Korean daily Donga Ilbo reported Thursday.
“South Korean and U.S. intelligence agencies are closely monitoring movements on this matter,” Defense Ministry spokesman Jeon Ha-kyou told reporters when asked about the press reports.
The suspension could be an indication that spent fuel is being reprocessed to produce plutonium for use in nuclear weapons, the paper said, citing a government source.
The Yongbyon site, about 100 kilometers north of Pyongyang, is home to the country’s first nuclear reactor and the only known source of plutonium for North Korea’s weapons program.
Pyongyang enshrined its status as a nuclear state in its constitution last week and its leader Kim Jong Un stressed the need for more advanced nuclear weapons to counter perceived threats from the United States.
North Korea has carried out a record number of missile tests this year despite international sanctions, ignoring warnings from the United States, South Korea and their allies.
Attempts at mediation have repeatedly failed and the prospect of Pyongyang withdrawing from its nuclear program appears to be dwindling.
North Korea conducted its first nuclear test in 2006 and its sixth and most powerful in September 2017. Observers have growing concerns that it could be preparing for another test as North Korea seeks to develop nuclear weapons. tactical nuclear warheads.
A report released this year by the US Congressional Research Service estimated that North Korea already had enough material for “20 to 60 warheads.”
According to this source, North Korea is actively pursuing the development of smaller warheads for various delivery systems.