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U.S. spy plane detects radioactive gas over N. Korea

Special to World Tribune.com
EAST-ASIA-INTEL.COM
Thursday, March 10, 2005

The United States has picked up signs of a radioactive gas emitted during the extraction of plutonium from spent fuel rods in atmospheric samples collected near North Korean airspace, a Japanese newspaper reported on March 3.

A U.S. WC-135W reconnaissance plane refuels.

Traces of Krypton 85 gas, a byproduct of reprocessed nuclear fuel rods, were found in December, the Asahi Shimbun reported, citing sources in Washington. Krypton 85 gas, an isotope that does not exist naturally, is emitted into the atmosphere when spent fuel rods are cut and plutonium extracted.

The United States has been monitoring North Korea's nuclear activities by extracting air samples using a WC-135W reconnaissance plane flying over the Korean peninsula.

The United States also uses satellites to monitor the graphite nuclear reactor at the North's main nuclear complex in Yongbyon. Judging by the temperatures of structures at the facility and the steam emitted by its boilers U.S. officials believe that activity at the Yongbyon facility has been on hold since Sept. 2003, two months after Pyongyang's announcement that it completed reprocessing, Asahi quoted the sources as saying.

The radioactive gas was detected in July 2003 when the North Koreans declared they had completed reprocessing, but had not been detected since.

The re-emergence of the Krypton gas after a year and a half raised concerns in Washington that North Korea may have resumed operations at its nuclear facility.

"Analysis is still underway to determine the time and place of emission," the report stated. If North Korea were to reprocess all 8,000 of its spent fuel rods, it could extract enough weapons-grade plutonium for six to eight nuclear warheads.

The Asahi Shimbun also reported that the United States has transferred test results to Japan "proving" that North Korea exported processed uranium to Libya.

Quoting Japanese government officials, the newspaper said the U.S. National Security Council's Asia director, Michael Green, told Japanese Cabinet secretary Hosoda Hiroyuki that North Korea exported uranium to Libya in a "nuclear black market" set up by the father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb, Abdul Qadeer Khan.

The United States has reportedly designated the overseas transfer of nuclear materials by North Korea as a "red line" that could warrant the use of force.

The current crisis emerged in 2002 when North Korea admitted to having a clandestine uranium-based arms program in addition to its known plutonium-based one, in violation of a 1994 nuclear freeze accord.


Copyright © 2005 East West Services, Inc.

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