(TheIndependentStar.com) – With everything going on in the Middle East, it’s almost easy to forget there are other issues that require President Joe Biden’s attention. However, ignoring some of the US’s most volatile adversaries could cause even more trouble for the administration and the country.
Recent satellite images show North Korea has most likely restarted production at the Yongbyon nuclear reactor. The plutonium-producing plant showed signs of cooling water discharge and a nearby laboratory appears to be extracting plutonium from spent fuel made at the reactor.
Yongbyon was inactive from December 2018, at which time Donald Trump was still in office. Kim Jong Un appears to have resurrected it in July 2021.
Evidence Emerges That North Korea Is Again Using A Nuclear Reactor That Was Shuttered During Trump Presidency #News #Politics https://t.co/u8uwYMq7xf
— The Resistance 1776 (@1776_resistance) August 30, 2021
The activity at the plant is a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions. Reopening this reactor would help the communist nation to build its nuclear weapons stockpile, which is already a decent size. To say this is troubling would be an understatement.
An official from the Biden administration said this development adds urgency to the process of opening a dialogue and denuclearizing the country. So far, the president has taken a “calibrated” or moderate approach to dealing with the situation, but North Korea has not responded to requests for talks.
Big questions remain. Why did North Korea decide to start up production again? Is this a sign Kim doesn’t see Biden as a threat? What will the president do about this concerning development?
Copyright 2021, TheIndependentStar.com
