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North Korea has built new uranium facility to expand nuclear arsenal, UN agency says
The Guardian • • world
Key Points:
- The IAEA has expressed serious concern over North Korea's construction of a new uranium enrichment facility at Yongbyon, capable of housing up to 28 centrifuge cascades for producing weapons-grade uranium.
- Satellite imagery and state media photos confirm the new facility as Yongbyon's second uranium enrichment site, alongside expanded operations at Kangson near Pyongyang.
- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un claimed the country's capacity to produce weapons-grade nuclear material has more than doubled in five years, with plans to significantly strengthen nuclear forces.
- Estimates suggest the Yongbyon facility could produce around 85 kg of highly enriched uranium annually, sufficient for three to four additional nuclear warheads.
- The IAEA condemned North Korea's nuclear program expansion as a violation of UN Security Council resolutions, while South Korea estimates the North now possesses 80 to 120 nuclear warheads, exceeding previous U.S. assessments.
