NK resumes construction of nuke reactor in Yongbyon: institute

North Korea seemed to have resumed the construction of a light-water nuclear reactor inside nuclear facilities in Yongbyon, the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies said Thursday.

After analyzing satellite images taken April 30, the institute said, "Steel rebar and concrete have been added to the cylindrical portion of the building that now appears higher than in previous photos. Additional work has been done on portions of the building’s roof adjacent to that area."

"Pyongyang is now close to completion of the reactor containment building."

Saying the next major step in the construction work will be the loading of heavy components such as the pressure vessel, steam generator and pressurizer, the think tank said, "Still further work, such as installing electronics in the control room and producing fuel assemblies, will need to be completed before the reactor is operational. That may take another one or two years after loading the heavy components. In short, the facility may not begin operating until 2014-2015."

The construction work was halted from December last year, when North Korean leader Kim Jong Il died, until February this year. Activity was resumed around March.

Once the facility goes online, it could produce 12 kilograms of plutonium, or a little more than one bomb per year, the institute said.