Thermal images of North Korea's main nuclear site show Pyongyang may have reprocessed more plutonium than previously thought that can be used to enlarge its nuclear weapons stockpile, a U.S. think tank has said.
The analysis published Friday by 38 North, a Washington-based North Korean monitoring project, was based on satellite images of the radiochemical laboratory at the Nyongbyon nuclear plant from September until the end of June, amid rising international concerns over North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.
The think tank said images of the uranium enrichment facility at Nyongbyon could also indicate operation of centrifuges that could be used to increase North Korea's stock of enriched uranium, its other source of bomb fuel.