North Korean for the first time appears to have disclosed details about a suspected, but unconfirmed, second uranium enrichment facility.
The East Asian country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, paid a visit to a facility in Kangson, just west of the capital Pyongyang, which is believed to be producing Uranium-235, a fissile material essential for nuclear chain reactions.
North Korea has so far only publicly acknowledged the existence of the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center uranium enrichment plant about 60 miles north of the capital.
Pyongyang conducted its first nuclear weapons test in 2006, prompting the United Nations Security Council to impose a series of sanctions aimed at curbing its nuclear ambitions. These sanctions include caps on oil imports, travel bans on officials involved in the program, and embargoes on textiles and other exports that generate revenue for the communist government.
During his visit, Kim reportedly familiarized himself with the country’s production of weapons-grade nuclear material. The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), cited Kim as saying he felt “invigorated” by what he saw, urging the country not to become complacent.
He called for a continued buildup of centrifuges, including a new, recently completed model to bolster “the foundation for producing weapons-grade nuclear materials.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (in black) is given a tour of a uranium enrichment facility on September 12. Analysts say the facility is a match for a suspected second nuclear site.
Korean Central News Agency
Centrifuges are crucial to nuclear weapons development because they enrich uranium by increasing the concentration of uranium-235, the fissile material needed to trigger a nuclear chain reaction and unleash the explosive power of a weapon.
Undated photos released on Friday show Kim walking between rows of centrifuges in a large hall, according to KCNA.
Newsweek has reached out to the North Korean Embassy in China and the U.S. Department of Defense via email for comment.
Pyongyang insists that its nuclear program is a necessary deterrent and, in 2023, the country enshrined the capability into its constitution amid rising tensions with Seoul. The U.S. and its South Korean ally have warned they will destroy the Kim regime if it mounts a nuclear attack.
Among the photos shared by KCNA, one features a room with columns that match satellite images of the Kangson site, showing new construction there.
These “line up well with the new construction at Kangson,” Sam Lair, a research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, told North Korea-focused analysis site NK Pro.
North Korea is estimated to have developed around 50 nuclear warheads, according to the Federation of American Scientists’ estimate from earlier this year.
During Kim’s speech on Monday, marking the 75th anniversary of the country’s founding, he vowed to “steadily strengthen” his country’s nuclear capabilities amid the “grave threat” of the U.S. and its security allies in the region.
