WASHINGTON (Antara/Yonhap) - North Korea is believed to have shut down its sole plutonium-producing nuclear reactor either for refueling or maintenance purposes, a U.S. think tank said Sunday, citing commercial satellite imagery. The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) said it reached the decision based on the absence of two key indicators of operations at the 5-megawatt reactor: steam venting from the reactor and cooling water discharge from it. "In imagery dated Aug. 27 and Sept. 29, 2014, both these signatures are missing," ISIS said in a report authored by David Albright, a nuclear expert and chief of the institute, and another researcher, Serena Kelleher-Vergantini. "ISIS assesses that it is possible that the reactor is partially or completely shut down," it said. It is unclear what exactly led to the shutdown, but the North could be carrying out a partial refueling of the reactor's core if some fuel rods are defective, the institute said. A total core refueling is unlikely because the reactor has only been running for a year, it said. The institute also said the North could have shut down the reactor for maintenance or renovation purposes. Satellite images show unidentified activity taking place on the roof of the reactor's turbine building, it said.(*)


Editor : Chandra Hamdani Noer
COPYRIGHT © ANTARA 2026

Dilarang keras mengambil konten, melakukan crawling atau pengindeksan otomatis untuk AI di situs web ini tanpa izin tertulis dari Kantor Berita ANTARA.