[Seoul, 4th Reuters]–North Korea can obtain all the uranium necessary for nuclear weapons through the existing Hirayama factory, and the country is more than it is now from satellite images of a large amount of Tailings (waste generated in the smelting process). It is suggested that much more uranium can be produced. A new academic study published last month concludes:
North Korea has not conducted a nuclear weapons test since 2017, but has announced that it will continue to upgrade its weapons, and has restarted a nuclear reactor that is believed to have produced weapon-grade plutonium this year. It seems.
North Korea has the potential to increase production and other uranium plants, according to a study by Stanford University researchers and a mining consulting firm in Arizona, published last month in the journal Science & Global Security. Is not needed.
“It’s clear that DPRK (short for North Korea’s official name) seems to have significantly greater smelting capacity than it has ever used,” the research report said. “This means that we can produce more smelted natural uranium if we wish.”
According to analysts, the Hirayama uranium enrichment plant and its associated mines are North Korea’s only officially recognized source of yellowcake (uranium concentrate).
Information on North Korea’s nuclear weapons is limited, but David Orbright, director of the Institute for Science and International Security, has told Reuters that North Korea has the capacity to produce materials for four to six nuclear warheads annually. It shows the presumption that there is.
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