North Korea may be restarting nuke plant as Kim plans Russia trip

North Korea may be attempting to restart its main nuclear bomb fuel reactor after a five-month shutdown, a U.S. research institute said Thursday, citing commercial satellite imagery. That could be an added worry for the United States and the North’s neighbors at a time of increasing animosity over recent U.S. sanctions against the North and Pyongyang’s fury about a U.N. push to punish its alleged human rights abuses. The 5-megawatt Nyongbyon reactor is closely watched because North Korea is thought to have a handful of crude nuclear bombs, and can likely produce about one bomb’s worth of plutonium per year.

It’s an implicit threat.

The U.S on North Korea’s linking of recent military drills, which it says are defensive and routine, with a possible nuclear test

Meanwhile, North Korea confirmed Kim Jong-un’s visit to Russia in May, which would be the first foreign trip of the supreme leader since coming to power three years ago. The visit reflects Kim Jong-un’s desire to reduce his country’s dependence on China, which remains Pyongyang’s main ally, diplomatic protector and economic safeguard. Russia is one of North Korea’s few allies, and both have opposed the United Nations’ call for Pyongyang to be referred to the International Criminal Court over its human rights record.

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