A satellite image of the radiochemical laboratory at the Yongbyon nuclear plant in North Korea by Airbus Defense & Space and 38 North released on July 14, 2017. “Includes material Pleiades © CNES 2017 Distribution Airbus DS / Spot Image, all rights reserved.” Courtesy Airbus Defense & Space and 38 North/Handout via REUTERS
Reuters: Exclusive: North Korea may have more bomb fuel than thought - U.S. think tank
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Thermal images of North Korea's main nuclear site show Pyongyang may have reprocessed more plutonium than previously thought that can be used to enlarge its nuclear weapons stockpile, a U.S. think tank said on Friday.
The analysis by 38 North, a Washington-based North Korean monitoring project, was based on satellite images of the radiochemical laboratory at the Yongbyon nuclear plant from September until the end of June, amid rising international concerns over North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.
The think tank said images of the uranium enrichment facility at Yongbyon could also indicate operation of centrifuges that could be used to increase North Korea’s stock of enriched uranium, its other source of bomb fuel.
There were signs too of at least short-term activity at North Korea’s Experimental Light Water Reactor that could be cause for concern, 38 North said.
Reuters received a copy of the report before its scheduled release later on Friday.
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Update #1: N. Korea likely hikes plutonium production for nuclear weapons: report (Yonhap)
Update #2: Is North Korea Preparing For Nuclear War? Plutonium Production For Weapons Increasing, Report Says (IBTimes)
WNU editor: One cannot help but feel that the Doomsday Clock just moved closer to midnight.
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