Satellite imagery indicates continued operation of North Korean N-reactor

North Korea appears to be continuing the operation of a plutonium-producing nuclear reactor at its mainstay Yongbyon complex, a US monitoring website has said, citing the release of steam and water seen in recent satellite imagery.

38 North reported on Wednesday (local time) that recent commercial satellite imagery of the complex north of Pyongyang provided further evidence of activity at the 5-megawatt reactor, which can produce up to 6 kilograms of plutonium — a fissile material used for a nuclear bomb — a year.

“Steam is emanating from the reactor’s generator hall, indicating that at least one of the generators is running,” the website said. “Additionally, water continues to be discharged from the auxiliary pipe into the channel leading to the Kuryong river.”