Recent satellite images reveal multiple indicators that North Korea is preparing, or has already begun, to reprocess plutonium for additional nuclear weapons at its main atomic complex, a US think tank said Wednesday.
Exactly how much weapons-grade plutonium the North can produce at the Yongbyon complex is unclear, said analysts at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University.
When operating at full capacity, the main five-megawatt reactor at Yongbyon is understood to be capable of producing six kilos (13 pounds) of plutonium a year -- enough for one or two bombs.
The recent satellite pictures show two railroad flatcars -- loaded with tanks or casks -- near the complex's radiochemical laboratory.
Similar flatcars were seen during reprocessing campaigns in the early 2000s and the casks could be used to supply chemicals for reprocessing work, the institute said.
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