UN atomic watchdog: N Korea still enriching uranium

re are signs that rth Korea has been reprocessing fuel from its main nuclear reactor into plutonium over past year, but Pyongyang appears to still be enriching uranium, which could potentially be used in a nuclear weapon, U.N.'s atomic watchdog said Wednesday.

International Atomic Energy ncy has t had inspectors in rth Korea since y were expelled in 2009, but said in a report dated Sept. 1 that it continues to prepare m to return, should leader Kim Jong Un decide to re-admit m.

Meanwhile, it said it has intensified its open source information collection and expanded its collection and analysis of satellite imry to monitor country's nuclear program.

Still, it said, without inspectors to carry out verification, IAEA's kwledge of rth Korea's nuclear program “is limited and, as furr nuclear activities take place in country, this kwledge is declining.”

It is kwn that rth Korea has facilities to produce both plutonium and highly enriched uranium, two key ingredients to manufacture bombs, at its main Yongbyon nuclear complex rth of capital, Pyongyang.

IAEA said in report, covering period since its last assessment in August 2019, that it has t detected any operation of plant that provides steam necessary for reprocessing of spent fuel rods, “refore it is almost certain that reprocessing activity took place and that plutonium produced... during most recent operational cycle has t been separated.”

At same time, ncy said that its observations of cooling units at Yongbyon nuclear fuel rod fabrication plant and vehicular movements re “were consistent with production of enriched uranium at reported centrifuge enrichment facility.”

rth Korea's “nuclear activities remain a cause for serious concern,” ncy said.