North Korea resumes operation of nuclear reactor to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons

SANAA, Aug. 30 (YPA) – North Korea appears to have resumed operation of a nuclear reactor widely believed to have produced plutonium for nuclear weapons,the UN atomic watchdog said in an annual report.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has had no access to North Korea since Pyongyang expelled its inspectors in 2009. The country then pressed ahead with its nuclear weapons programme and soon resumed nuclear testing. Its last nuclear test was in 2017.

North Korea then moved ahead with its nuclear weapons program before quickly resuming its nuclear tests, most recently in 2017.

The IAEA is monitoring North Korea remotely for the time being, mostly via satellite imagery, Reuters reports.

“Since early July 2021, there have been indications, including the discharge of cooling water, consistent with the operation,” the IAEA report added.

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