Experimental North Korea's experimental light-water nuclear reactor will be operational next summer, South Korean Defense South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said. This was reported by the Yonhap news agency Yonhap, reports UNN.
Details
South Korean Defense Minister Shin Defense Minister Shin Won-sik made the statement after last week's Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi expressed concerns about signs of activity at the reactor of the North's main nuclear Yongbyon nuclear complex.
Grossi said that his agency has detected signs that North Korea has commissioned a reactor, noting that the experimental reactor could produce plutonium, a key fuel for nuclear weapons.
Shin said that Seoul has detected signs of cooling water being discharged from the reactor since last summer, with estimates that since then, the North will likely take about a year to to get the reactor back into full operation.
(Reactor) is currently is currently undergoing a test run to improve its equipment and facilities. It is expected to start operating normally next summer
The North began building experimental reactor more than a decade ago, which is known to have a higher capacity than the 5-megawatt reactor at Yongbyon, which the regime used to produce to produce plutonium.
The UN Security Council has adopted several resolutions that impose sanctions on North Korea for developing nuclear weapons and related weapons and related activities.
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