What did the satellites see?
- The 38 North website, which monitors North Korea and is based in Washington, said in a report that the activity it monitored, according to images taken on March 3 and 17, could indicate that an experimental light-water reactor at the Yongbyon site is nearing completion and transition to operating condition. .
- The report said the images showed that a five-megawatt reactor at Yongbyon continued to operate, and that construction work had begun on a support building around the experimental reactor. Water discharge from the reactor’s cooling system was also monitored. New construction has begun around the Yongbyon enrichment plant, likely to expand its capacity.
- “These developments appear to reflect the latest directive from (North Korean leader) Kim Jong Un to increase the country’s production of fissile material to expand its nuclear weapons arsenal,” the report added.
Smaller nuclear warheads
- Pyongyang on Tuesday unveiled new smaller nuclear warheads and vowed to produce more weapons-grade nuclear material to expand its arsenal, while denouncing the intensification of joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States.
- It is not yet clear whether North Korea has fully developed the small nuclear warheads needed to fit the smaller weapons it has offered.
- Analysts say perfecting such warheads will likely be a major goal if the country resumes nuclear testing for the first time since 2017.
- South Korea and the United States have been warning since early 2022 that North Korea may resume nuclear testing at any time.
#Satellite #images #monitor #great #activity #nuclear #complex #North #Korea
