As the North Korean leader ordered a rise in the production of bomb fuel to boost the nation’s nuclear arsenal, a US think group revealed on Saturday that satellite photographs of the country’s primary nuclear site show a high level of activity.
The Experimental Light Water Reactor (ELWR) at the Yongbyon complex may be close to completion and moving into operational status, according to the 38 North Korea monitoring group, which is based in Washington.
According to the report, the photos showed that a 5 megawatt reactor at Yongbyon was still in operation and that work had begun on a support structure for the ELWR. Moreover, water discharges from the cooling system of that reactor had been discovered.At the uranium enrichment plant in Yongbyon, new building had also begun, likely to increase its capacity.
The article continued, “These achievements seem to mirror Kim Jong Un’s recent instruction to increase the country’s fissile material production to grow its nuclear weapons stockpile.”
On Tuesday, North Korea showcased new, smaller nuclear warheads and threatened to increase the production of weapons-grade nuclear material in order to increase the size of its arsenal, all the while criticizing the United States and South Korea for stepping up its military drillsIts state media said Kim had ordered the production of weapons-grade materials in a “far-sighted way” to boost the country’s nuclear arsenal “exponentially.”
It is unclear whether North Korea has fully developed miniaturized nuclear warheads needed to fit on smaller weapons it has displayed and analysts say perfecting such warheads would most likely be a key goal if it resumes nuclear testing for the first time since 2017.
South Korea and the United States have warned since early 2022 that North Korea may resume nuclear testing at any time.
In a report last year, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) estimated North Korea had assembled up to 20 nuclear warheads, and probably possessed sufficient fissile material for approximately 45–55 nuclear devices.
