North Korea n-reactor may be in use again: IAEA

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Thursday that it has evidence of suspicious activity coming from North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear complex that may indicate it is in operation again.

Director General of the IAEA Yukiya Amano told an IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna that satellite photos show signs the reactor may have been re-commissioned into use, Xinhua reported.

"Activities have been observed at the site that are consistent with an effort to restart the 5MW(e) reactor," Yukiya Amano said.

He added that it was impossible for the agency to determine with certainty due to a lack of access to the site, which is around 90 km from the capital Pyongyang, and that he was "seriously concerned" about the potential new development.

North Korea has refused the IAEA access to the site since 2009 and stated in July this year that it would not give up its "nuclear deterrent" against Washington.