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How Much Threat Does N. Korea's Uranium Enrichment Program Pose?

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저작자 미상 (저작물 2267374 건)

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공표년도

창작년도

2009-06-16

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North Korea has finally come out.
The communist country kept quiet for seven years before proudly declaring that it plans to enrich uranium on top of the weapons-grade plutonium already in its possession.
North Korea officially wiped out years of speculation by the international media when Pyeongyang announced on Saturday that it plans to start a uranium enrichment program‚ or UEP.
North Korea announced it will "weaponize" all of its plutonium soon after the United Nations imposed sanctions against the Kim Jong-il regime.
North Korea is believed to have acted out its uranium enrichment dream in the late 1990s by allegedly buying 20 centrifuges and an instruction manual from Pakistan.
A centrifuge is a device that's critical when transforming natural uranium into a lethal material.
Even though Pyeongyang reportedly confessed to then chief US envoy to North Korea James Kelly that they had a UEP‚ the North later denied ownership.
It wasn't until last week when the whole world found out about Pyeongyang's covert UEP quest.
Experts say North Korea's uranium enrichment has broader implications than the 50 kilograms of plutonium already at its disposal which could be enough to make at least six nuclear weapons.
To produce a single nuclear bomb North Korea needs to extract 5 to 8 kilograms of plutonium‚ but it needs to operate the Yongbyon nuclear reactor at full capacity for 18 months.
Skeptics say it's unlikely that the North is anywhere near mastering the skills to build a centrifuge on its own‚ but when it does‚ nuclear bomb-making will become a lot easier when using highly-enriched uranium.
The trade-off for going HEU is huge.
For one thing‚ it's the size.
A centrifuge is reportedly no larger than two meters in length.
And when it is that small North Korea can churn out HEUs from deep inside mountains without fear of getting caught by US spy satellites.
Unlike plutonium-based bombs‚ which are customarily detonated to test their reliability‚ for HEU bombs‚ trial runs are not required.
With reports that North Korea imported 150 tons of aluminum pipes through a third country in 2002‚ which reportedly is enough material to make over 2‚500 centrifuges‚ it may be that the communist North never planned to disarm.
Nam Ki-yung‚ Arirang News.
Reporter : kaynam@arirang.co.kr

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