North Korea’s New Reactor at Nuclear Site Likely to Be Formally Operational Next Summer, Seoul Says 

South Korean Defense Minister Shin Wonsik speaks during a committee at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, on Nov. 23, 2023. (AP)
South Korean Defense Minister Shin Wonsik speaks during a committee at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, on Nov. 23, 2023. (AP)
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North Korea’s New Reactor at Nuclear Site Likely to Be Formally Operational Next Summer, Seoul Says 

South Korean Defense Minister Shin Wonsik speaks during a committee at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, on Nov. 23, 2023. (AP)
South Korean Defense Minister Shin Wonsik speaks during a committee at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, on Nov. 23, 2023. (AP)

A light-water reactor at North Korea’s main nuclear complex will likely be formally operational by next summer, South Korea’s defense minister said, amid suspicions that the North may use it as a new source of fissile materials for nuclear weapons.

Concerns about North Korea’s nuclear program deepened recently as the UN atomic agency and foreign experts said they’ve detected signs indicating that North Korea had begun operating its light-water reactor at the Yongbyon nuclear complex.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said last week that his agency had observed increased levels of activity at and near the reactor and since mid-October, a strong water outflow from its cooling system. He said the reactor is “a cause for concern” because it can produce plutonium — one of the two key ingredients used to manufacture nuclear weapons, along with highly enriched uranium.

The South Korean Defense Ministry said Friday that Defense Minister Shin Wonsik told local reporters a day before that his country had also spotted similar cooling system-related activities associated with the reactor last summer.

Shin said the reactor appears to be in the stage of a trial operation and that it's expected to be officially operational around next summer.

North Korea has long produced weapons-grade plutonium from its widely known 5-megawatt reactor at Yongbyon. The light-water reactor would be an additional source of bomb fuels, and observers say its bigger capacity could allow it to produce more plutonium. Yongbyon has a uranium enrichment facility as well.

There are questions about the reactor's reported operation, as light-water reactors are best-suited for electricity generation. Shin noted there has been no country that has used light-water reactors to produce weapons-grade plutonium. However, many observers say North Korea could adapt one at Yongbyon to produce weapons-grade plutonium.

“(North Korea)'s commissioning of a new light water nuclear power plant raises serious concerns, including safety,” the US Mission to the UN in Vienna said Saturday in a message posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “(North Korea's) unlawful nuclear & ballistic missile programs continue to pose a grave threat to international peace & security.”

Grossi also noted the North's operation of the light-water reactor violates UN Security Council resolutions.

The IAEA and foreign governments rely on satellite imagery and other methods to monitor activities at Yongyon and other suspected nuclear facilities in North Korea. The North kicked out IAEA inspectors from the country in 2009.

Outside estimates on the size of North Korea's nuclear arsenal vary, ranging from 20-60 to more than 100. Experts say North Korea can add six to 18 bombs each year. Since his diplomacy with the US collapsed in 2019, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has repeatedly vowed to build more nuclear weapons and introduce high-tech weapons to cope with what he calls intensifying US hostility.

Foreign experts say Kim would ultimately hope to use his expanded nuclear arsenal to win sanctions relief from the US when diplomacy resumes.

In response to the North's latest intercontinental ballistic missile test last week, the US, South Korea and Japan urged other countries to fully implement UN Security Council resolutions that have imposed punishing sanctions on the North for its past banned weapons tests.



Snapback Threat Deepens Iran-West Tensions Amid Warnings and Diplomatic Standoff

Iranians walk past a propaganda mural in Tehran depicting a figure from Persian mythology launching missiles, Wednesday (EPA)
Iranians walk past a propaganda mural in Tehran depicting a figure from Persian mythology launching missiles, Wednesday (EPA)
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Snapback Threat Deepens Iran-West Tensions Amid Warnings and Diplomatic Standoff

Iranians walk past a propaganda mural in Tehran depicting a figure from Persian mythology launching missiles, Wednesday (EPA)
Iranians walk past a propaganda mural in Tehran depicting a figure from Persian mythology launching missiles, Wednesday (EPA)

Tensions between Iran and Western powers have escalated sharply, as the European trio - Britain, France, and Germany - hinted at reactivating the “snapback” mechanism that would automatically reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran. The looming decision has sparked strong reactions from Tehran, with Iranian officials warning of potential retaliatory actions that may come as a surprise to some European nations.

According to diplomatic sources cited by the Associated Press, the foreign ministers of the European trio agreed during a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this week to reinstate UN sanctions on Iran by the end of August, should no substantial progress be made on the nuclear deal.

The snapback mechanism, part of the 2015 nuclear agreement, allows any signatory to reinstate international sanctions if Iran fails to uphold its commitments. The clause expires on October 18, making this summer a crucial period for decisive action.

In Tehran, the response was swift and stern. Iranian MP Ebrahim Azizi, head of the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, denounced the European move as “a hostile political action.”

He stressed that Iran has “multiple options” and would not hesitate to use them if provoked. “The West must refrain from such a step,” Azizi warned, “and if they go ahead with it, our countermeasures may be unexpected for some Europeans.”

Conservative Iranian newspaper Kayhan went even further, calling for legislation to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), framing it as a necessary deterrent step.

Earlier this month, Iran’s parliament passed a law to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), requiring all inspection requests to be coordinated with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.

This move came in response to US airstrikes on Iran’s underground Fordow uranium enrichment site, as well as facilities in Isfahan and Natanz, during a 12-day war initiated by Israel on June 13.

Despite the growing tensions, some Iranian figures are urging a return to diplomacy. Mohammad Sadr, a veteran diplomat and member of the Expediency Council, stressed the need for “serious and urgent” negotiations with the European trio.

“Given the limited time before snapback is activated, Iran must work to create conditions that prevent Europe from taking that route,” Sadr said in a media interview.

The UK, France, and Germany are all original signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal, from which US President Donald Trump withdrew in 2018, arguing it was too lenient on Tehran.

Under the agreement, sanctions were lifted in exchange for strict limits on Iran’s nuclear program. The snapback clause allows for the automatic reimposition of sanctions if Iran is found to be non-compliant.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated on Tuesday that the trio is now in a position to justify triggering the snapback. Meanwhile, the ambassadors of the three nations met at the German UN mission this week to discuss the situation. Though no specific conditions were disclosed, the discussions signaled growing impatience with Tehran.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar urged his German and French counterparts to activate the snapback during a meeting on the sidelines of the EU ministerial council in Brussels on Tuesday.

The newspaper reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also discussed the issue with multiple world leaders. A senior Israeli official said: “There are no longer valid excuses to delay reimposing sanctions.”

He added that Iran’s previous threats to enrich uranium to 90% are now considered irrelevant. “Even the US now supports the snapback, and the Europeans are inclined to follow suit.”