North Korea appears to have restarted the operation of its main nuclear reactor used to produce weapons fuels

According to the UN atomic agency the nation may have restarted the reactor that’s been closed since 2018.

It comes as the North openly threatens to enlarge its nuclear arsenal amid long-dormant nuclear diplomacy with the United States.

The annual report by the International Atomic Energy Agency refers to a 5-megawatt reactor at the North’s main nuclear complex in Yongbyon, north of Pyongyang.

The reactor produces plutonium, one of the two key ingredients used to build nuclear weapons along with highly enriched uranium.

The UN report stated that there were indications of the operation of Yonbyon’s radiochemical laboratory from mid-February to early July this year.

Michelle Ye Hee Lee from the Washington Post says it could be a direct breach of US President Joe Biden’s denuclearisation wishes.

The laboratory is a facility where plutonium is extracted by reprocessing spent fuel rods removed from reactors.

“(North Korea’s) nuclear activities continue to be a cause for serious concern. Furthermore, the new indications of the operation of the 5-megawatt reactor and the radiochemical laboratory are deeply troubling,” the IAEA said.