The Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center, the heart of the North’s nuclear development and research, is Kim’s biggest carrot as he tries to win security guarantees and free his country from the U.S.-backed trade sanctions that are hobbling its economy. Kim agreed in talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in last September to consider closing a 5-megawatt reactor at Yongbyon. The Yongbyon reactor produces all of the North’s plutonium. Highly enriched uranium and tritium, which is a crucial “booster” fuel for nuclear weapons, are also produced at the Yongbyon complex. When Kim decided to close the North’s underground nuclear testing facility in Punggye-ri, he allowed only foreign media in to watch.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer February 22, 2019 07:30 UTC