North Korea May Be Making Fuel for a Nuclear Reactor and It's No Joke.....

[MMC]

The U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University reported today that North Korea may be making good on promises to develop nuclear arms, by producing fuel rods necessary for a plutonium reactor and, therefore, to operate nuclear facilities. According to the institute, this marks a major development in the hermit nation's quest for nuclear weapons:

Analysts at the institute examined satellite imagery to determine that two buildings are likely actively fabricating and assembling fuel rods. According to the institute, one building probably producing fuel rods was designed for that purpose in the early 1980s, before falling into disrepair. North Korea began cleaning up the facility in 2009, and the experts believe it is being used for fuel production again because satellite images show soot on the facility's roof, indicating "that a heating process had occurred, such as the use of metal casting furnaces necessary to complete the heat treatment during the fuel rod assembly." Furthermore, the images show a white stain on the roof, which "may be the result of chemical vapors or gases being released. For example, the hydrofluoric acid used to produce the fuel rods is acidic enough to cause this bleaching effect."

The institute also suspects that one of the largest structures in North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear complex could be used to produce light water reactor fuel assemblies - a process which would take two to three years.

Just last week North Korea threatened South Korea with "a merciless retaliation without warning," albeit via fax. But the oft-repeated threat becomes less amusing as the country takes tangible step towards nuclear capability.....snip~

North Korea May Be Making Fuel for a Nuclear Reactor and It's No Joke


It appears sanctions against N Korea just isn't working.....also recently we discovered they were creating launch pads for longer ranged missiles. Usually after things start getting a bit chaotic from Africa thru the ME. Then our not so friendly guy.....rears his head. Either way this will put us onto a course to deal with this. While we have tensions going with China at the same time. Does anyone see China going to bat for us in taking on N Korea?

 

[TacticalEvilDan]

Does anyone see China going to bat for us in taking on N Korea?

China doesn't go to bat for anyone but China. I do think they will be disturbed by this if in fact they believe it. They were already unsettled in the wake of the most recent purges, since the highest-ranking among those slain was regarded as pro-China and moderate (by comparison to his peers, at any rate).

 

[MMC]

China doesn't go to bat for anyone but China. I do think they will be disturbed by this if in fact they believe it. They were already unsettled in the wake of the most recent purges, since the highest-ranking among those slain was regarded as pro-China and moderate (by comparison to his peers, at any rate).

Heya T.E.D. :2wave: So do you think US Korea group at John Hopkins assessment is off?

 

[TacticalEvilDan]

Heya T.E.D. :2wave: So do you think US Korea group at John Hopkins assessment is off?

On the one hand, I hate to automatically discount any report about North Korea and nukes -- their "military first" policy has resulted in the starvation of millions. On the other hand, in many ways, North Korea is stuck in a bad parody of the 1960s when it comes to technology.

Ultimately, I have a hard time taking seriously any report about a country that can't even afford to keep its capital city lit on a regular basis developing nukes.

 

[MMC]

On the one hand, I hate to automatically discount any report about North Korea and nukes -- their "military first" policy has resulted in the starvation of millions. On the other hand, in many ways, North Korea is stuck in a bad parody of the 1960s when it comes to technology.

Ultimately, I have a hard time taking seriously any report about a country that can't even afford to keep its capital city lit on a regular basis developing nukes.

Yeah.....I thought Hopkins was more known for their Medical. Rathern than Some Foreign Affairs think tank. Still we did pick up the bigger launch sites. Either way it looks like we will be dealing with this issue. Especially if they are going with a tank to produce light water.

 

[MMC]

They had this news earlier this month.....Just in time for the Holidays and the New Year, huh?


Institute: North Korea resumes work at old launch site.....

New construction at a North Korea missile launch site is intended to make the location capable of handling larger rockets, a U.S. research institute said Friday.

The findings were provided to The Associated Press ahead of publication by 38 North, the website of the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

It's the latest sign that North Korea is pressing ahead with its nuclear and missile programs despite declaring its willingness to resume aid-for-disarmament negotiations.

Overhead photos have also indicated the North restarted a mothballed plutonium reactor in late August and is working to upgrade its other main missile launch site at Sohae.

Even though 38 North says completion of all the new facilities at Tonghae may take until 2017, combined with construction activity at Sohae, where a new launch pad for mobile ballistic missiles appears in the works, North Korea seems to be scaling up its capabilities.....snip~

Institute: North Korea resumes work at old launch site | Fox News

 

[TacticalEvilDan]

They had this news earlier this month.....Just in time for the Holidays and the New Year, huh?

It absolutely bears watching -- I really do hate to automatically discount any report about North Korea and nukes. At the same time, it will take a whole lot more than that to get me excited.

I'd be a lot more worried if we saw Russia and North Korea getting cozy again. Cheap (read: sometimes not even paid-for) oil from Russia is what allowed the North Korean economy to function, the flow of which stopped after the collapse of the USSR. If Putin starts showing renewed interest in North Korea, I'd worry about that a whole lot more than this.

 

[MMC]

It absolutely bears watching -- I really do hate to automatically discount any report about North Korea and nukes. At the same time, it will take a whole lot more than that to get me excited.

I'd be a lot more worried if we saw Russia and North Korea getting cozy again. Cheap (read: sometimes not even paid-for) oil from Russia is what allowed the North Korean economy to function, the flow of which stopped after the collapse of the USSR. If Putin starts showing renewed interest in North Korea, I'd worry about that a whole lot more than this.

Heya T.E.D......Yeah I was hoping PSK would stop in. Since he is in South Korea. Was hoping we could get some info from him and out what the South is looking at.

 

[TacticalEvilDan]

Fail
/thread

That should get his attention.

I would've quoted his intro post, but the search engine won't let me go back that far. :lol:

 

[LaughAtTheWorld]

That should get his attention.

I would've quoted his intro post, but the search engine won't let me go back that far. :lol:

If Russia begins to get cozy again with NK, then it would be a lot of trouble as you said. The former USSR and China were big supporters, but with the Soviet collapse, much of NK aid stopped and the famine started. The NK economy was trembling before, but busted big time with the Soviet collapse.
That being said, this type of news is pretty much the norm. Every month or so, NK will get hyped up about another nuke plant or test. Trust me, this has been going on for two decades. Even if NK gets nukes they still have much more work on the delivery systems, and even if they do get a capable nuclear system, then where would they use it? Fire it at SK to get annihilated in turn? The objective of KJU and the NK leadership is to keep power, not to destroy SK and be destroyed in turn. Using nukes goes against that purpose.

 

[MMC]

If Russia begins to get cozy again with NK, then it would be a lot of trouble as you said. The former USSR and China were big supporters, but with the Soviet collapse, much of NK aid stopped and the famine started. The NK economy was trembling before, but busted big time with the Soviet collapse.
That being said, this type of news is pretty much the norm. Every month or so, NK will get hyped up about another nuke plant or test. Trust me, this has been going on for two decades. Even if NK gets nukes they still have much more work on the delivery systems, and even if they do get a capable nuclear system, then where would they use it? Fire it at SK to get annihilated in turn? The objective of KJU and the NK leadership is to keep power, not to destroy SK and be destroyed in turn. Using nukes goes against that purpose.

Heya PSK. :2wave: So do you think them being a couple years away with the Light water.....that they are making more or faster progress?

 

[LaughAtTheWorld]

Heya PSK. :2wave: So do you think them being a couple years away with the Light water.....that they are making more or faster progress?

I'd say that they're bound to make faster progress which is conventional logic. I'm no expert on nuclear matters, but the NK nuke program has been accelerating for quite some time now.

 

[MMC]

I'd say that they're bound to make faster progress which is conventional logic. I'm no expert on nuclear matters, but the NK nuke program has been accelerating for quite some time now.

Well while we watch Iran.....it seems North Korea is always making some sort of move.