North Korean nuclear reactor may be operational [View all]

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Source: Deutsche Welle

A new report by the United Nations nuclear watchdog says North Korea may be operating a reactor at its main nuclear facility in Yongbyon. The site has previously been associated with the production of nuclear weapons.

In the document seen by news agencies on Friday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it had detected signs the reactor in the country's north was undergoing tests that suggested it was being prepared for a restart.

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According to news agency AFP, the reactor is capable of giving the isolated regime around six kilograms (13 pounds) of plutonium per year - enough for one nuclear bomb. The reactor is also thought to have produced the material used in North Korea's nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009.

In its report, the UN agency noted there had been "further renovations" at a second, bigger, reactor at Yongbyon, suspected to be for the purposes of enriching uranium. But the IAEA added it could not confirm this, and that although it appeared the building had been completed, there had been little activity at the site over the past year.

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Read more: http://www.dw.de/north-korean-nuclear-reactor-may-be-operational/a-17904551