North Korea may currently possess as many as 50 nuclear weapons as the country continues expanding its nuclear capabilities, according to news reports citing a former International Atomic Energy Agency official.
In an interview with Voice of America, Olli Heinonen, former deputy director-general of the IAEA, said that North Korea’s nuclear program is growing faster and more extensively than previously understood.
The warning comes after the IAEA confirmed that North Korea has restarted light-water reactor operations at the country’s main nuclear complex in Yongbyon, North Pyongan Province.
Heinonen said the reactor’s reactivation could increase the country’s plutonium production capacity threefold. He also suggested that North Korea likely operates a third covert uranium enrichment facility in addition to the known sites at Yongbyon and Kangson.
According to Heinonen, the IAEA found no evidence of centrifuges in Yongbyon in 1994, and the fact that the Kangson facility did not exist at the time suggests the existence of a third, unknown facility.
Heinonen also noted that the Yongbyon nuclear complex has undergone significant upgrades. Satellite observations indicate that a new residential complex has been built near the site, which he said could signal that North Korea is recruiting and housing a larger number of nuclear researchers and technical personnel.
Separate assessments by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute and several US think tanks have also suggested that North Korea could possess up to 50 nuclear weapons.
cheesuk@heraldcorp.com
