According to the U.S.-based North Korea specialist media outlet 38 North, North Korea has extensively repaired the exterior of the megawatt electric (5MWe) reactor at its Yongbyon nuclear complex, as reported on Friday.
38 North based its report on images from Airbus’s Pleiades NEO satellite, stating that due to years of neglecting the exteriors of its buildings, the rust and dirt that had accumulated on the roofs and outer walls have now completely disappeared.
North Korea has been comprehensively overhauling and expanding the main facilities of the Nyongbyon nuclear complex since 2022; however, there have been no significant changes noted at the 5MWe reactor.
Satellite images and videos from the period between April 30 and July 27 revealed that work, such as repairing the new roofing on auxiliary buildings surrounding the 5MWe reactor, had been carried out, the media reported.
Moreover, because hot water has been continuously discharged from the 5MWe reactor into the Kuryong River, it is presumed that the reactor has remained operational.
Earlier in June, trends such as the construction of new facilities at the Nyongbyon nuclear development complex had been observed. Rafael Mariano Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), expressed regret, noting that North Korea appears to be constructing new facilities in Nyongbyon with characteristics similar to those of its previous nuclear installations.
A second nuclear development hub, equipped with high-enriched uranium (HEU) production facilities among others, has been established in the Gangseon area near Pyongyang. In addition, several nuclear missile production sites are believed to be scattered across various locations.
It is already presumed that Nyongbyon hosts facilities for producing HEU and plutonium used in the manufacture of nuclear warheads. The IAEA reports that after a 60-day shutdown, the Yongbyon reactor was restarted in mid-October last year.