A satellite image from the Washington-based U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies indicates that North Korea has restarted its Yongbyon nuclear reactor, which is capable of producing weapons grade Uranium.

“The white coloration and volume are consistent with steam being vented because the electrical generating system is about to come online, indicating that the reactor is in or nearing operation,” said the Washington-based institute. The reactor can produce 6 kgs (13.2 lbs) of plutonium a year, the report added.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has yet to comment and so far the State Department has declined to comment.

“Restarting it is another slap in the face to the international community, indicating that North Korea has no intention whatsoever of abandoning its nuclear weapons,”said analyst James Acton, of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.