(VOVworld) - Recent satellite images reveal multiple indicators that North Korea is preparing, or has already begun, to reprocess plutonium for additional nuclear weapons at the Yongbyon atomic complex. Analysts at the US-Korea Institute at John Hopkins University said it’s unclear how much weapons-grade plutonium the North can produce.

When operating at full capacity, the main five-megawatt reactor at Yongbyon is understood to be capable of producing six kilos of plutonium a year, enough for one or two bombs. Recent satellite pictures show two railroad flatcars - loaded with tanks or casks - near the complex's radiochemical laboratory. Similar flatcars were seen during reprocessing campaigns in the early 2000s and the casks could be used to supply chemicals for reprocessing work.