According to The Wall Street Journal, North Korea seems to have reactivated a nuclear power plant in Yongbyon.
According to an International Atomic Energy Agency report, the reactor had been active since July 1.
Since December 2018, the reactor was inactive.
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According to The Wall Street Journal, North Korea seems to have reactivated a plutonium producing reactor at Yongbyon which had been inactive since December 2018.
International Atomic Energy Agency stated in an annual report that the reactor appeared to have been activated in July.
According to the Journal, "Since early Jul, there have been indicators, including the discharged of cooling water consistent with the operation the reactor."
The Journal reported that an agency had found activity at the plant to be "deeply troubling", and that there are indications that plutonium is being separated from spent fuel from the reactor by a nearby laboratory.
In 2009, North Korea expelled inspectors from the agency.
Gary Samore, Director at Brandeis University's Crown Center for Middle East Studies, stated to the Journal that the reactivation Yongbyon's reactor appears to indicate that the country is increasing its nuclear weapons program.
Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un's sister, threatened to increase the strength of the North Korean military as a response to the joint military exercises between the US, South Korea, and South Korea earlier this month.
She stated that the dangerous war exercises being pushed forward by the US and South Korean sides, despite our repeated warnings, will make them more vulnerable to security threats.
After President Joe Biden stated that nuclear programs in North Korea or Iran "present a serious risk to America's security" and threatened world security, the United States sent Joe Biden a warning in May.
The Journal reported that the Biden administration stated its policy toward North Korea was to reach a diplomatic agreement and hold negotiations. It was revealed in March that the administration tried repeatedly to reach out the North Korean regime but was rejected.
Joel Wit, a former State Department official said that reopening the Yongbyon nuclear reactor shows that North Korea's nuclear weapons programs cannot be ignored and should be a priority for the Biden administration."
Insider did not receive a comment from the IAEA at the time of publication.
