Yeongbyeon Thermal Plant Appears To Have Been Operating Since Late February

The operation period is reportedly longer than previous maintenance efforts and more consistent when compared to earlier reprocessing campaigns.

By
Angel Gimalo
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Metal spikes, known as "Dragon's teeth," and razor wire used for fortification sit along a beach as islands belonging to North Korea stand in the distance on Yeonpyeong Island, South Korea, on Friday, June 26, 2020. On the sleepy island of Yeonpyeong, the threat of conflict is constant with North Korean coastal howitzers just 11 kilometers (7 miles) away and propaganda banners visible through binoculars. There have been several military clashes in the contested maritime boundary off the west of the peninsula since 1999, making it a possible ignition point for a major conflict that could draw in the U.S. and China — the two biggest allies for the rival Koreas. Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg

Satellite imagery shows a thermal plant in North Korea’s Yeongbyeon nuclear facilities appears to have been operating since late February this year.

That’s according to the U.S.-based North Korea monitoring website 38 North.

It could indicate some nuclear activity by the regime because the plant is used to provide steam when reprocessing spent fuel for plutonium extraction.

The operation period is reportedly longer than previous maintenance efforts and more consistent when compared to earlier reprocessing campaigns.

But the website said it could not confirm what is happening without further visual signatures or on-the-ground inspection.

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