Satellite photographs show North Korea upgrading nuclear facility

Satellite photographs show North Korea upgrading nuclear facility

New satellite TV for PC photographs display North Korea has made rapid upgrades to the infrastructure at its Yongbyon nuclear medical research center -- a facility used to produce weapons-grade fissile material, in line with an analysis published through 38 north, a distinguished north Korea tracking group.

captured on June 21, the snap shots reveal changes to the website's plutonium production reactor and the construction of several assist centers -- lengthy-planned improvements that had been already underway before north Korean leader Kim jong un and us president Donald Trump met in Singapore earlier this month.
while contacted by means of CNN approximately 38 north's evaluation, the unification ministry said they "can not confirm the report" and are "watching it intently."
the document states that "persevered work on the yongbyon facility ought to not be seen as having any relationship to north Korea's pledge to denuclearize," but the images recommend that pyongyang keeps to continue with enterprise as traditional when it comes to maintaining its nuclear web sites following the summit.

"no alternate is without a doubt a quite vast story ... that is nevertheless an energetic web site producing plutonium for north Korea," according to jeffrey lewis, a professor at the middlebury institute of global studies.
the photographs stand in stark assessment to trump's latest assertion that the north korean regime no longer poses a nuclear threat, despite the fact that the meeting produced no verifiable proof that north korea will discontinue its nuclear application.
secretary of nation mike pompeo stated wednesday that north korea remains a nuclear chance, however defended trump's preceding comment.
"i am confident what he intended there was we did reduce the threat," said pompeo. "i do not suppose there is any doubt approximately that. we took the tension degree down."
"i think his point turned into a truthful one," he brought. "for the instant, we've reduced chance."
however trump has repeatedly mischaracterized the character of his deal with kim, insisting ultimate week that the north korean dictator had agreed to begin "total denuclearization" right away.
in reality, the record he signed with kim at their june 12 summit in singapore handiest reiterated north korea's previous dedication to "work in the direction of entire denuclearization of the korean peninsula," and the new photographs launched wednesday align with defense secretary james mattis' assessment that pyongyang stays in a preserving sample as negotiators discuss the next steps in talks.
"the summit pledge is vital, but it changed into now not a written settlement that laid out what the north koreans should do -- that does not exist right now, so i'm no longer surprised they are persevering with to perform their centers," stated joel wit, a senior fellow at the stimson middle and director of 38 north.

adam mount, a senior fellow and director on the federation of american scientists, agreed that the pictures suggest that north korea will maintain to support the inspiration of its nuclear software till the two sides are able to agree on particular phrases.
"due to the fact kim jong un has to this point avoided creating a dedication to halt studies and development activities, the changes aren't a success or failure of the diplomatic procedure, but truely a sign that north korea's nuclear infrastructure remains completely in use,"