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North Korea Reportedly Restarts Reactor
Operations appear to be under way again at North Korea’s Yongbyon nuclear reactor, which is suspected of producing weapon-grade nuclear material, Reuters reported yesterday (see GSN, May 12). Pyongyang last year announced that it had suspended operations at Yongbyon to remove plutonium-bearing spent fuel, but satellite images from January show a tower emitting steam, according to GlobalSecurity.org. “The steam plume in the January 5, 2006 view is indicative of the reactor being active,” says a caption next to the photograph. Images show other signs of activity, including the paving over of a dirt path and an influx of vehicles and containers, Reuters reported (Reuters/CNN.com, May 14). Meanwhile, Washington is contemplating economic sanctions against some Chinese banks that conduct business with North Korean companies tied to suspected WMD proliferation, Kyodo News reported yesterday. Bush administration hard-liners believe similar financial regulatory actions against a Macao-based bank have been effective in isolating Pyongyang, according to a government source (Kyodo News/Yahoo!News, May 14). However, North Korea’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Han Song Ryol, argued that the sanctions have not been effective. “We have endured sanctions by the United States for 50 years. More sanctions won’t bring any special changes,” Han told the Joong Ang Ilbo. He added that North Korea would boost its nuclear deterrence (JoongAng Daily, May 12).
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