Increased North Korean activity shows possible nuclear production: US thinktank

A US thinktank has said that increased activity at North Korea's main nuclear complex could indicate fresh plutonium production for nuclear weapons.

According to analysts at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University, fresh satellite images of the Yongbyon facility showed high-level activity at two sites, including the five-megawatt reactor seen as North Korea's main source of weapons-grade plutonium.

Analysts said that the activity may also indicate preparations for unloading spent fuel rods from the reactor for the purpose of producing new plutonium, The Guardian reported.

The increase in activity at Yongbyon was noted earlier this week by Yukiya Amano, the head of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency.