

North Korea is believed to be expanding a uranium-enrichment centrifuge plant at its Yongbyon nuclear complex while trying apparently to renovate its 5-megawatt nuclear reactor for plutonium production, a U.S. think tank said Wednesday.

The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) also said in a report that the communist nation is continuing construction of a light water nuclear reactor at Yongbyon. The think tank cited commercial satellite imagery dated June 30.

The "satellite imagery, combined with procurement data obtained by ISIS, suggests that North Korea is emphasizing the production of weapons-grade plutonium as well as enriched uranium for its nuclear weapons program," the report said.

The imagery showed construction activities continuing in the centrifuge plant, it said.

Though the North has said the enrichment plant is dedicated to making low-enriched uranium for the light water reactor, it could produce uranium intended for further enrichment to weapons-grade, it said.

Signs of activity near the centrifuge plant include the removal of possible construction objects detected in April and the ongoing construction of a new roof seemingly connecting the centrifuge building and a nearby building, the ISIS said.

The think tank also said the 5-megawatt reactor is believed to be in operation as the satellite imagery showed water being discharged nearby. The discharge is believed to be part of the reactor's secondary cooling system, it said.

"It is hard to determine the operational status of the reactor and thus to estimate the amount of plutonium produced by the reactor," it said. "However, it is reasonable to assume that North Korea is renovating this reactor so as to achieve the reactor's previous level of plutonium production."

One indication of renovation is that the North has apparently remodeled the reactor's cooling system, including replacing a steam line out of the reactor, ISIS said.

For the last few years, the North has been procuring equipment for the 5-megawatt reactor, and those procurements are related to replacing aging equipment in the reactor and ensuring that it can manufacture additional fuel for it, it said. (Yonhap)