Lack Of Testing Reduces Nuclear Threat, Despite Ongoing Enrichment, Says Report

The threat from North Korea has been reduced even as it continues to produce fuel for nuclear weapons, says a new report cited by Reuters. 

Spent fuel collected from the 5-MW reactor at Yongbyon from 2016 to 2018 appeared to have begun reprocessing in May 2018, producing 11-19 pounds (5-8 kg) of weapons-grade plutonium, according to the report from Stanford University's Center for International Security and Cooperation. 

Combined with the production of up to 330 pounds (150 kg) of highly enriched uranium, Pyongyang could make five to seven additional nuclear weapons, increasing its estimated total to up to 37. 

Despite the continued processing, a pause in ICBM testing has limited advancements in North Korea's delivery systems, reducing the overall threat, said Siegfried Hecker, one of the authors of the report. 

North Korea could likely strike targets in Japan and South Korea with a nuclear weapon but could not reliably do so against the U.S., he said.  

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and President Donald met in Singapore last June and agreed in principle to denuclearization but reached no formal agreement. It is therefore no surprise that Pyongyang has continued its nuclear weapon development, Hecker said.