Tuesday, August 23, 2016

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: N.Korea likely resumed plutonium extraction



Sourced from NHK World:

The UN nuclear watchdog says North Korea may have resumed reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel to extract plutonium.

The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Yukiya Amano, made the statement in a report dated Friday.

It says the IAEA confirmed that satellite photos show signs of operations at a radiochemical lab in Nyongbyon from the first quarter of this year through early July.

The agency says the signs include deliveries of chemical tanks and operation of a steam plant linked to the lab.

South Korea's Defense Ministry said last week that the North has been reprocessing spent nuclear fuel to extract plutonium. It said South Korea will work closely with other countries on a response.

The IAEA has already pointed out signs of the North's reprocessing, and plans to discuss ways to cope with the activity at its annual general conference next month.

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