Experts warn: North Korea could commission a second reactor

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That could allow the country to add “10, 20 kilograms or even more plutonium per year to North Korea’s nuclear weapons,” expert Jeffrey Lewis wrote on X, formerly Twitter. The ‘experimental light water reactor’ may now be in operation. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) came to a similar conclusion regarding developments in North Korea. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi was very concerned on Thursday evening.

According to Lewis, the release of water from the reactor indicates that the plant has been running since early October. Lewis and his colleagues at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) relied on satellite images. CNS conducts research in the field of nuclear non-proliferation.

Last year, experts reported that they believed that North Korea’s interest in more plutonium could reflect North Korea’s intention to develop new tactical nuclear weapons. Once commissioned, the new reactor could produce up to 55 kilograms of weapons-grade fissile material per year, about ten times as much as the older 5-megawatt reactor at Yongbyon.

The observations showed that the water in the light water reactor (LWR) was warm, Grossi said in an IAEA statement on Thursday. “The release of hot water indicates that the reactor has reached a critical point.” The critical state is the normal operating state of a nuclear reactor in which a self-sustaining chain reaction occurs.

Grossi warned that without access to the reactor it would be difficult to accurately determine its operational status. “I repeat: the further development of the nuclear program of the People’s Republic (North Korea), including the construction and operation of the LWR, is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions, and this is deeply regrettable.”

North Korea has been at odds with the international community for years over its nuclear weapons program. The country is subject to strict UN sanctions. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are currently rising again. Recently, North Korea tested another intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which could theoretically reach the US, according to information from Pyongyang. The US accuses North Korea of ​​hostile policies. Pyongyang has tested nuclear missiles several times since last year, despite UN bans. (SDA)

Source: Blick