Seoul Monitors North's Nuclear Activity In Cooperation With US - Unification Ministry

SEOUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 31st August, 2021) South Korea, in cooperation with the United States, is continuously monitoring the nuclear and missile activity of North Korea, Lee Jong Joo, the unification ministry spokesperson, said on Monday.

Earlier today, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) published a report showing that Pyongyang resumed in July operation of its 5MW nuclear reactor for producing plutonium in the Yongbyon complex. The agency registered signs of the reactor's activity, including the discharge of cooling water, despite North Korea's promise in 2018 to dismantle all nuclear facilities in Yongbyon.

"The ROK [Republic of Korea] Government is continuously monitoring the North's nuclear and missile activities in close cooperation with the United States.

The Government will continue to make efforts to improve inter-Korean relations, achieve complete denuclearization and achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula," the spokesperson said during a briefing.

Lee added that Seoul cannot currently confirm intelligence information on the operation of the Yongbyon nuclear facilities.

This is not the first time nuclear experts have registered activity in the Yongbyon complex after the North pledged to dismantle it. In April 2019, US Digital Globe company's satellites showed the presence of five carriages near a Yongbyon uranium enrichment facility, which were supposedly used in the past for the transportation or processing of radioactive materials.