(VOVworld) – South Korea’s National Intelligence Service has confirmed that North Korea restarted its nuclear reactor at the Yongbyon nuclear complex in August. Located 90 kilometers north of Pyongyang, the reactor was believed to be producing plutonium for North Korea’s nuclear weapons program before its showdown in accordance with an agreement reached in 6-party talks.

A North Korean nuclear plant is seen before demolishing a cooling tower (R) in Yongbyon, in his photo taken June 27, 2008 and released by Kyodo. (Photo: Reuters)

North Korea demolished a cooling tower at its main nuclear power plant in 2008 to prove its seriousness about suspending nuclear weapons activities. In April, amid heightened tension on the Korean peninsula, North Korea announced a resumption of the reactor. From pictures captured by commercial satellites, independent sources have confirmed that the nuclear reactor is in operation.