International Law Blog Postings

One week after the adoption by UN General Assembly of the International Convention on the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, satellite photos confirm that there is no flume of smoke arising from the cooling tower of the Yongbyon nuclear reactor in North Korea, an indication that the reactor has been shut down. Possible reasons range from technical difficulties associated with the aging 5-megawatt reactor to an attempt by North Korea to obtain fissile material for nuclear warheads by extracting plutonium from spent fuel rods. If the latter proves true, North Korea's provocative move heats up a precipitous environment in which North Korea threatens to use "invincible deterrent force built up for scores of years" upon aggressors. Continue Reading