North Korea seems to have restarted a Yongbyon plutonium-producing reactor that has been idle since December 2018.
Report from International Atomic Energy Agency
In a recently published article in MSN News, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in its annual report that the reactor seems to have been restarted in July. According to the report, there have been signs of reactor activity since early July, including the release of cooling water.
The activities inside the facility are "very worrisome," according to the article, and there are also signs that a neighboring laboratory is being used to extract plutonium from spent fuel that has been taken from the reactor, according to the Journal.
The restart of the Yongbyon reactor seems to indicate that the nation is speeding up its nuclear weapons development, according to Gary Samore, Director of Brandeis University's Crown Center for Middle East Studies, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Sister of North Korean Leader Threatened to Strengthen Military Force
In reaction to joint military drills between the U.S. and South Korea earlier this month, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, vowed to boost the country's military, according to a published news article in Yahoo News.
She said in a statement that an exercise of the staff for crisis management will take place from Aug. 10 to 13 and a "combined command exercise" will take place from Aug. 16 to 26. They are the most visible manifestation of the United States' hostile policy toward the DPRK, designed to suffocate the state through force; and an unwelcoming act of self-destruction for which a high price should be paid, as they endanger the safety of North Korean citizens and worsen the situation on the Korean peninsula.
She also added that the hazardous military drills being carried out by the U.S. and South Korea, despite the country's repeated warnings, will undoubtedly expose them to a greater security threat. The combined military exercises, regardless of size or method, are hostile in character since they constitute a war rehearsal and preparatory nuclear war exercise to finish off the preparations for putting the operational plan into reality, with a preemptive attack on North Korea as the essence, according to a published article in Reuters.
Biden Administration Tries to Reach Out to North Korea
According to the Journal, the Biden administration's strategy toward North Korea is to seek a diplomatic solution and conduct negotiations. In March, it was discovered that the administration had attempted to communicate with the North Korean government many times but had been ignored.
The restart of the Yongbyon reactor, according to Joel Wit, a former State Department official, shows that North Korea's nuclear weapons development cannot be ignored and should be a greater priority for the Biden administration.
Furthermore, the new report, which was revealed in the CIA's yearly report on North Korea's nuclear operations, adds a fresh obstacle to President Biden's foreign policy agenda, which already includes the risky U.S. departure from Afghanistan and stalled negotiations to restore the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement.