Filed Under: 38 North, Current Events, Energy, In the News, North Korea, Nuclear Issues, Six-Party Talks, U.S.-DPRK relations

The US-Korea Institute at SAIS’s web-journal on North Korea, 38 North, has reported seeing steam emitting from North Korea’s 5 MWe gas-graphite reactor. This reactor, used to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons, was shut down in 1994 as part of the US-North Korea Agreed Framework. In 2008, the cooling tower for the reactor was destroyed as part of the 2007 Six Party Agreement. However, after high tensions on the Korean peninsula earlier this year, North Korea announced its intention to restart this reactor.

38 North analysts have been tracking construction at this site through commercial satellite imagery since the North’s announcement. In DigitalGlobe imagery from August 31, 2013, steam was seen coming from the electrical power generating building. See the full analysis at USKI’s 38 North.