A US think tank has warned that satellite images indicate a high level of activity at North Korea’s main nuclear complex after leader Kim Jong-un ordered production ramped up.
Washington-based group 38 North revealed that images taken on March 3 and 17 suggested the experimental reactor at the Yongbyon facility was “near completion” and starting to become “operational.”
The photos also show that the five-megawatt reactor is still operating and new construction has begun near the uranium enrichment plant, presumably to expand capacity.
“These developments appear to reflect Kim Jong-un’s recent mandate to increase production to expand his arsenal of nuclear weapons,” the report points out.
North Korean state media on Tuesday released footage of Kim inspecting nuclear warheads, which experts say shows technical progress and could point to an impending test.
North Korea has multiplied its missile launches in recent months, while South Korea has increased the frequency and size of joint military exercises with the United States.
North Korea’s state news agency KCNA on Sunday criticized the moves, warning of Pyongyang’s “nuclear strike capability”.
The commentary said that “it will be very clear how the DPRK’s nuclear weapons (North Korea’s official acronym) will be used if belligerent deterrence has no effect on those who walk unchecked, without fear of nuclear weapons.”
Source: DN
