Originally Posted by
jolihokistix
As I mentioned earlier on a different thread, one Japanese military expert being consulted on a TV talk show here last week suggested that NK is in possession of around 50 kg of plutonium, 10 kg having been produced domestically, and 40 kg sent in a series of small shipments by Putin from Russia.
Two points:
1. Got to have the right isotope of plutonium to make a weapon, and only Pu239 can make a fission weapon. What kind does the DPRK supposedly have?
2. By all accounts, DPRK does not have the capability to build an implosion-type weapon which is required when using plutonium. They can only build gun-type weapons which require highly enriched uranium. (U235). That's what all those centrifuges are used for: enriching natural uranium which is mostly U238 and only 0.7% U235 until it reaches 90% or better U235, and only U235 can be used in a weapon. U238 is non fissile and after the U235 has been extracted is often called "depleted" uranium and used for its mechanical/physical properties (about twice the density of lead, and when alloyed with other metals, very hard, which makes it an excellent armor piercing projectile.)