The annual report by the IAEA was released when North is openly threatening to enlarge its nuclear arsenal….reports Asian Lite News
Pyongyang appears to have restarted the operation of its main nuclear reactor used to produce weapons fuels, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said, media reported.
The annual report by the IAEA was released when North is openly threatening to enlarge its nuclear arsenal.
The report refers to a 5-megawatt reactor at the North’s main nuclear complex in Yongbyon, north of Pyongyang. The reactor produces plutonium, one of the two key ingredients used to build nuclear weapons along with highly enriched uranium, media reported.
This comes amid the visit of South Korea’s nuclear envoy to Washington to discuss issues on the Korean Peninsula.
Noh Kyu-duk, South Korea’s special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, is reportedly on a four-day trip to Washington between August 29 to September 3 at the invitation of Sung Kim, US special representative for North Korea, reports Xinhua news agency.
During the visit, Noh is scheduled to meet the officials from the US Department of State and the White House to continue the close consultations, which the two sides had during the American nuclear envoy’s trip to Seoul earlier this week.
During the meeting in Seoul, Noh and Kim discussed the possible humanitarian assistance to North Korea, calling for Pyongyang to return to the dialogue table.
The Foreign Ministry said it anticipated that an in-depth discussion can be made between South Korea and the US during Noh’s Washington trip for the early resumption of the Korean Peninsula peace process.
Denuclearisation talks between North Korea and the US have been stalled since the second summit between top leader Kim Jong-un and former Anerican President Donald Trump ended without agreement in February 2019 in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.