North Korea may be close to completing a new reactor at its Yongbyon nuclear complex, with recent satellite imagery indicating “a high level of activity” at the site after leader Kim Jong Un ordered increased production of weapons-grade materials.
The North Korea-watching 38 North website said Saturday that images taken March 3 and 17 indicated that an experimental light water reactor (ELWR) at the Yongbyon site was "nearing completion."
Construction of a new support building was also seen in the imagery, while water discharges were detected from the reactor's cooling system, a signal that it "is nearing a transition to operational status,” the report said.