DPRK Delegation Arrival Imminent- More scare reports emerge on schedule.

(Source Channel A News Top Ten 11.6) North Korea- greatest uranium mine production in progress. With nuclear negotiations ahead what is the reason for North Korea's uranium mine operation? Getting prepared for a break in the talks? Strengthening nuclear weapons power? A card to enhance pressure at denuclearization negotiations?


The excepts below from the Middlebury Institute estimate of North Korean Uranium ore output are being used as a basis to alarm the public about North Korean intentions. Although the work of the Middlebury Institute is typically produced along with appropriate caveats as to limitations on their sources and methods, such characterizations are missing from popular media accounts which are directed at producing a political impact rather than advances in knowledge or understanding of issues. The information below is taken from the CNS report recently produced concerning possible production levels at the North Korean facility in Pyongsan:


Monitoring Uranium Mining
and Milling in China and
North Korea through Remote
Sensing Imagery

Melissa Hanham, Grace Liu, Joseph Rodgers,
Mackenzie Best, Scott Milne, and Octave Lepinard

Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Occasional paper No. 40. October 2018


https://www.nonproliferation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/op40-monitoring-uranium-mining-and-milling-in-china-and-north-korea-through-remote-sensing-imagery.pdf

The two mines referenced are likely Pyongsan and Pakchon, given that
North Korea did not likely build new mines or mills between 1979 and 1992. The larger Pyongsan
site is a better candidate for the .26 percent ore figure than Pakchon (.086 percent), since North Korea likely would
have built its larger mine and mill at a site with higher quality ore.

In North Korea, the varying production estimates for Pyongsan are as follows:23
• Two CCDs processing ore at 0.8%U: 456 tU/year
• Four CCDs at 0.8%U: 886 tU/year
• Two CCDs processing ore at 0.26%U: 273 tU/year
• Four CCDs processing ore at 0.26%U: 529 tU/year

?

The footnote explains:

23 The 0.8%U figure comes from a widely-cited defector, and the 0.26%U figure comes from the authors’
inference (see “Estimating Pyongsan’s Production,” above).

Not very scientific is it? In other words, they're guessing, and plugging in uncorroborated information to outline a worst case scenario.

The recent Nov. 2 article from 38north.org says this, "A future denuclearization agreement will require North Korea not to acquire natural uranium, a key material in the process to produce highly enriched uranium for North Korea’s nuclear weapons program." This is an overbroad recommendation. The information cutoff date on the imagery appears to be May 26, 2018.