In October it was revealed that satellite imagery at the Yongbyon Nuclear site showed recent activity and construction on the site of the cooling tower demolished in 2008. Kyodo News in Tokyo is reporting that Los Alamos former chief Siegfried Hecker confirmed that a light water reactor with an expected output of 25-30MW is being constructed at the site. As construction is still in early stages, it will be several years before the reactor is complete. Light water reactors are not suitable for proliferating nuclear weapons. In 1994, the Agreed Framework between the USA and North Korea stated that the DPRK be provided with two 1000MW light water reactors in exchange for peaceful nuclear disarmament, however the deal was scrapped in 2006 when it was determined that North Korea was not following through on its end.
Source: Yahoo! News via Reuters
