A new academic study published a few days ago by the world news agency CNN states that North Korea can proceed with the production of all the uranium needed for nuclear weapons through its existing plant in Pyongyang.
Despite a moratorium on nuclear weapons testing since 2017, North Korea has said it is continuing to build its arsenal and this year appeared to have restarted a reactor widely believed to have produced weapons-grade plutonium.
North Korea may be able to increase production and not need other uranium mills, according to research published last month in the journal Science & Global Security by researchers at Stanford University and an Arizona-based mining consulting firm.
“It is clear that the country appears to have significantly more milling capacity than it has used to date,” the report said. “This means that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea could produce much larger quantities of ground natural uranium if it so wished,” it said.
Satellite imagery reveals North Korea expansion used to produce weapons-grade uranium The Pyongyang uranium concentrate plant and related mine are the only publicly recognized source of uranium ore in North Korea, according to analysts. The report follows the release of other satellite images showing North Korea building a large extension of its Yongbyon nuclear reactor, which analysts say could be used to produce weapons-grade uranium. “Given the DRC ‘s active nuclear program, it is of the utmost importance to assess and understand its potential for nuclear material production,” the report’s authors wrote.
These capabilities determine the rate at which North Korea can expand its nuclear arsenal and at the same time determine the magnitude of the threat to international security and the potential for nuclear disarmament.
The question of how many nuclear weapons North Korea possesses is a key issue for intelligence services in South Korea and the United States. The United States, which wants Pyongyang to hand over its nuclear arsenal, has said it is open to an unconditional meeting with North Korea. North Korea says talks are possible only after the United States and its allies abandon hostile policies.
Information on North Korea’s nuclear weapons is limited, but David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security, told Reuters he estimates the country has the capacity to produce material for four to six warheads a year. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in September that North Korea’s nuclear program was working to separate plutonium, uranium enrichment and other activities.
Reuters, Cnn
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