Pyongyang, North Korea – North Korea is continuing to operate its controversial Yongbyon nuclear reactor, experts have warned. By so doing, they could potentially produce the plutonium necessary to build nuclear bombs.

Analysts working for news website 38 North, which is run by the US think tank the Stimson Center and specializes in North Korea, say that satellite images of the reactor site have, in recent weeks, provided further evidence that the reactor is being operated.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in August that there had been indications North Korea had restarted the reactor at the start of July 2021.

Referencing the report by 38 North, a spokesperson for the Unification Ministry in Seoul on Friday said that South Korea, alongside the US, would continue to monitor nuclear activity in the North very closely. No further details were given.

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Analysts say that satellite pictures show steam escaping from the reactor's generator hall and water being discharged from a reactor pipe into a canal leading to the nearby Kuryong River.

"This new activity is noteworthy because the resumption of plutonium production is likely to be used to meet ambitious targets for further nuclear weapons development," said one of the 38 North analysts.

The targets were stated by North Korea at the eighth congress of the ruling Workers' Party earlier this year, he added.

North Korea is under strict international sanctions because of its nuclear weapons program. In February, an internal report at the UN stated that North Korea was pushing ahead with its nuclear program despite the sanctions.

According to estimates by the Arms Control Association in August 2020, North Korea already has between 30 and 40 nuclear warheads.