IAEA: North Korea seems to have restarted nuclear reactor

North Korea appears to have restarted a nuclear reactor that many believe was producing plutonium for nuclear weapons, the IAEA said in a report.

Signs of a 5-megawatt reactor, believed to be capable of producing weapons-grade plutonium, have been recorded for the first time since late 2018, the report said. North Korea wants to increase the quantity and quality of its nuclear weapons.

The IAEA has not had access to North Korea since Pyongyang expelled its inspectors in 2009. The IAEA is currently observing North Korea from afar, mainly through satellite imagery.

Commercial satellite imagery shows the discharge of water, confirming the conclusion that the reactor is working again.