The global atomic watchdog has detected signs that North Korea could be resuming uranium enrichment after removing the cooling units from its centrifuge facility in Yongbyon.
The development was mentioned by Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, at a meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna on Monday.
Grossi's remark came on the heels of the IAEA's recent report last month saying the North restarted a nuclear reactor that has produced plutonium for nuclear weapons. "Since early July 2021, there have been indications including the discharge of cooling water, consistent with the operation of the [5-megawatt] reactor," which was shut down in December 2018, the report said.
The additional resumption of uranium enrichment would mean the regime is running the Yongbyon nuclear complex again in full swing.
Grossi called the North's activities a "cause for serious concern." "The continuation of the nuclear program is a clear violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions and is deeply regrettable," he added.
