Radioactive material possibly moved at N Korean facility: US think tank

Satellite imagery from last week may indicate the movement of radioactive material at North Korea's main nuclear facility Yongbyon nuclear site, according to a US think tank, Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"In the past, these specialized railcars appear to have been associated with the movement of radioactive material or reprocessing campaigns," the think tank said, according to Yonhap News Agency.

"The current activity, along with their configurations, does not rule out their possible involvement in such activity, either before or after a reprocessing campaign," they added.

Taken on April 12, the imagery shows five specialized railcars near the facility and the radiochemistry laboratory at the Yongbyon nuclear site, the US-based group stated.

Yongbyon is the very same nuclear site North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had offered to dismantle in exchange of sanctions waivers during the second US-North Korea summit in Vietnam with US President Donald Trump. The US rejected the offer, leading to the summit ending abruptly with no joint agreement being released at the end of the February 2019 summit.

Until now, Pyongyang has conducted six nuclear weapons tests along with multiple ballistic missiles tests.

Kim promised to completely denuclearise during the first US-North Korea summit in Singapore last year. The process seems to have reached a stop, with the sides failing to resolve their differences regarding sanction waivers.