North Korea may have more nuclear bomb material than thought: U.S. think tankWASHINGTON (Reuters) – Thermal images of North Korea’s main nuclear site show Pyongyang may have reprocessed more plutonium than previously thought that can be used to enlarge its nuclear weapons stockpile, a U.S. think tank said on Friday.
The analysis by 38 North, a Washington-based North
Korean monitoring project, was based on satellite images of the
radiochemical laboratory at the Yongbyon nuclear plant from September
until the end of June, amid rising international concerns over North
Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.
The think tank said images of the uranium enrichment facility at Yongbyon could also indicate operation of centrifuges that could be used to increase North Korea’s stock of enriched uranium, its other source of bomb fuel.
There were signs too of at least short-term
activity at North Korea’s Experimental Light Water Reactor that could be
cause for concern, 38 North said.
The images of the radiochemical laboratory showed
there had been at least two reprocessing cycles not previously known
aimed at producing “an undetermined amount of plutonium that can further
increase North Korea’s nuclear weapons stockpile,” something that would
worry U.S. officials who see Pyongyang as one of the world’s top
security threats.
It was unclear if the thermal activity detected at the uranium plant was the result of centrifuge operations or maintenance
A thermal image
of the radiochemical laboratory at the Yongbyon nuclear plant in North
Korea is seen which 38 North says was taken in June 2017 and released on
July 14, 2017. Courtesy Thermal data available from the US Geological
Survey/38 North/Handout via REUTERS
It said the thermal patterns at the plant’s
isotope/tritium production facility suggested it was not operational and
was therefore not producing tritium, an essential isotope used in
boosted yield and hydrogen weapons.
North Korea manufactures atomic bombs using uranium
and plutonium and has tested five nuclear bombs. Officials and experts
say it could test a sixth at any time, despite U.S.-led international
efforts to curb its program.
Pyongyang said its penultimate test in January 2016 was of a hydrogen bomb, something experts have treated with skepticism.
North Korea has been working to develop a
nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the United States and last
week tested its first intercontinental ballistic missile, which experts
said could hit all of Alaska and parts of the U.S. Pacific Northwest.
Frustrated that China, North Korea’s main trading
partner, has not done more to rein in Pyongyang, the Trump
administration could impose new sanctions on small Chinese banks and
other companies doing business with Pyongyang within weeks, two senior
U.S. officials told Reuters this week.
U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley
has been seeking to overcome resistance from China and Russia to a U.N.
Security Council resolution imposing stiffer international sanctions on
Pyongyang.
Experts at 38 North estimated in April that North Korea could have as
many as 20 nuclear bombs and could produce one more each month.
Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Peter Cooney
