News / Koreas

US spy chief says North Korea close to producing plutonium sufficient for bomb

Tuesday, 09 February 2016 10:10 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 09 February 2016 10:49 PM ]

This picture, taken from North Korean TV and released by South Korean news agency Yonhap on February 7, 2016, shows a rocket moments before being launched by North Korea. (AFP)

US intelligence chief James Clapper says North Korea is capable of recovering enough plutonium from a newly restarted reactor which is believed to be sufficient for a nuclear bomb.

"We assess that North Korea has followed through on its announcement by expanding its Yongbyon enrichment facility and restarting the plutonium production reactor," said the US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper on Tuesday.

According to Clapper, after its third nuclear test in 2013, the North announced plans to restart its Yongbyon nuclear complex after refurbishing it with a uranium enrichment facility.

*The Yongbyon nuclear facility is North Korea's main nuclear site.*

"We further assess that North Korea has been operating the reactor long enough so that it could begin to recover plutonium from the reactor’s spent fuel within a matter of weeks to months," he said while addressing the Senate Armed Services Committee.

In September, Pyongyang announced that Yongbyon had been restarted and was working towards improving the "quality and quantity" of arms which it could use against the Washington at "any time."

Experts say that once Yongbyon becomes fully operational, it can produce around four Kilograms of plutonium per year which is enough for a 20-kiloton nuclear bomb.

Clapper added that "North Korea's nuclear weapons program and evolving missile programs are a continuing threat."

*James Clapper, director of National Intelligence, speaking during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, February 9, 2016. (AFP)*

He went on to say that the North "is also committed to developing a long-range nuclear-armed missile that's capable of posing a direct threat to the United States."

Last month, North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test and on Sunday successfully launched a long-range rocket reportedly aimed at placing an earth observation satellite into orbit. However, the US and South Korea denounced the move as a cover for an intercontinental ballistic missile test.

Pyongyang has been under UN sanctions over its nuclear tests and launching missiles considered by the US and South Korea as ballistic and aimed at delivering nuclear warheads.

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