N Korea expanding nuke plant: report

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (right) visits the Turf Institute of the Bioengineering Branch under the State Academy of Sciences in Pyongyang, in this picture released by North Korea's KCNA news agency on May 6, 2013.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (right) visits the Turf Institute of the Bioengineering Branch under the State Academy of Sciences in Pyongyang, in this picture released by North Korea's KCNA news agency on May 6, 2013.

Published Aug 7, 2013

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Vienna - A US-based institute tracking North Korea's nuclear weapons program says recent satellite photos show the country is doubling the size of its uranium enrichment plant.

In March, North Korea said it was “readjusting and restarting” all facilities at its main Nyongbyon nuclear complex, including a closed plutonium reactor and a uranium enrichment plant. The technology can be used to create energy and the core of nuclear weapons.

The imagery - from Digital Globe and Astrium Geoinformation Services -was seen by The Associated Press ahead of its publication by the Institute for Science and International Security on Wednesday.

ISIS said the photos show construction under way to “effectively double” the size of the enrichment hall, which would allow North Korea to double the number of centrifuges now enriching uranium.

Sapa-AP

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