More HEU Found on Items Submitted by North Korea
by Richardson ~ January 18th, 2009. Filed under: Nuclear Proliferation, Six-Party Talks.In mid-2008, North Korea turned over 18,000 pages of documents to U.S. officials to help prove it was telling the truth about its record of plutonium processing. Ironically, those documents had trace amounts of highly enriched uranium (HEU) that was likely not possible transfer from Pakistani equipment obtained via A.Q. Khan. The North Koreans, probably unaware that such traces existed much less that they could be found, inadvertently provided probably proof of a program they had denied altogether, and still do
At that time, North Korea also turned over equipment they claimed was for conventional use:
Pyongyang has insisted that it had no uranium-enrichment program, even taking an American diplomat in 2007 to a missile factory using the tubes and allowing him to bring home samples in his suitcase. (emphasis added)
The apparent answer to “When will the North Koreans learn?” is “Never!”
The U.S. found particles of highly enriched uranium on a component used in North Korea’s nuclear program, Japan’s Daily Yomiuri newspaper reported, citing U.S. officials.
The U.S. believes the part, an aluminum pipe used to concentrate nuclear weapons-grade uranium, was imported from Russia, the report said. North Korea, which submitted the pipe to U.S. inspectors in 2007, said the equipment was used for conventional weaponry, the newspaper reported.
An unexpectedly large amount of uranium particles was found on the component, the Yomiuri said, citing Paula Desutter, U.S. assistant secretary of state for verification, compliance and implementation. (emphasis added)
For more on HEU see, Background on the DPRK nuclear program; GMR vs. LWR.
January 19th, 2009 at 10:57 am
[...] And the evidence just seems to grow more overwhelming with each passing day. This isn’t to deny there are always uncertainties about the scale and [...]
January 19th, 2009 at 11:01 pm
I hope that diplomat bought a new suitcase!
I find it ironic that the DPRK government has specialists that are skilled at removing any trace of unpersons or fabricating massive “historical” sites (Dangun’s Tomb, for example), while those in charge of the DPRK’s nuclear program “declaration” left traces of HEU on the documents and a component handed over to the U.S.
January 20th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
[...] More HEU Found on Items Submitted by North Korea [...]
January 21st, 2009 at 8:52 pm
It seems the North Koreans were unaware that such trace evidence could be left behind. It’s nothing short of a miracle that they were able to get any sort of result from an implosion device.
January 21st, 2009 at 10:06 pm
[...] An unexpectedly large amount of uranium particles was found on the component, the Yomiuri said, citing Paula Desutter, U.S. assistant secretary of state for verification, compliance and implementation. [Bloomberg via DPRK Studies] [...]
January 21st, 2009 at 11:26 pm
[...] Richardson has some interesting information on the the DPRK’s evolving HEU (Uranium) story he…. [...]
January 29th, 2009 at 7:40 am
[...] As far as North Korea responding to clearly defined proposals this is also incorrect. Almost immediately after signing the Clinton Agreed Frameworkd the North Koreans began cheating on the deal with their covert Uranium program. [...]
January 30th, 2009 at 4:06 am
[...] a related note, DPRK Studies made a post last week about how this past summer, when the North Koreans where vehemently denying having any [...]