North Korea’s new reactor at nuclear site likely to be formally operational next summer, Seoul says

By HYUNG-JIN KIM
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s Defense Minister Shin Wonsik has said that a light-water reactor at North Korea’s main nuclear complex will likely be formally operational by next summer. Shin told local reporters that his country had also spotted similar cooling system-related activities associated with the reactor last summer. That’s according to the South Korean Defense Ministry on Friday. Shin said on Thursday that the reactor appears to be in the stage of a trial operation and it’s expected to be officially operational around next summer. North Korea has long produced weapons-grade plutonium from its widely known 5-megawatt reactor at Yongbyon. The light-water reactor would be an additional source of bomb fuels.