North Korea appears to have restarted its main nuclear reactor, according to the UN.
Indications in line with the operation of the reactor at the country's nuclear complex in Yongbyon, such as the discharge of cooling water, have been noted since July in a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The 5-megawatt reactor produces plutonium, which in addition to highly enriched uranium, is an essential component in building nuclear weapons.
The report also says that a steam plant that serves a radiochemical laboratory – where plutonium is recovered from spent reactor fuel – operated from mid-February to July this year.
It noted that such a timeframe is consistent with the duration needed to reprocess a complete core of irradiated fuel from the reactor and how long reprocessing campaigns at the laboratory took in 2003, 2005 and 2009.
The report concluded that North Korea's nuclear activities "continue to be a cause for serious concern".
It continued: "The new indications of the operation of the 5-megawatt reactor and the Radiochemical Laboratory are deeply troubling.
"The continuation of (North Korea's) nuclear programme is a clear violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions and is deeply regrettable."
The IAEA has been using satellite imagery and open source information to monitor nuclear activity in North Korea since the country kicked out its inspectors in 2009.
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