North Korea appears to have restarted nuclear reactor, UN atomic watchdog says
- ‘The new indications of the operation of the 5MW (e) reactor … are deeply troubling,’ the International Atomic Energy Agency said
- Since early July 2021, there have been indications, including the discharge of cooling water, consistent with the operation of the reactor, the IAEA said
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.
The IAEA now monitors North Korea from afar, largely through satellite imagery.
“There were no indications of reactor operation from early December 2018 to the beginning of July 2021,” the IAEA report said of the 5-megawatt reactor at Yongbyon, a nuclear complex at the heart of North Korea’s nuclear programme.
“However, since early July 2021, there have been indications, including the discharge of cooling water, consistent with the operation of the reactor.”
The IAEA issues the report annually before a meeting of its member states, posting it online with no announcement. The report was dated Friday.