SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un revealed a new nuclear fuel production facility on Thursday, declaring his intention to strengthen the nation’s atomic weapons capabilities “at an exponential rate.”
According to the official Korean Central News Agency, the plant employs “more sophisticated technology,” though no additional specifics were shared regarding its location or when operations commenced. Images released by state media displayed what looked like an extensive centrifuge hall, suggesting the facility’s purpose is enriching uranium for weapons use.
This revelation aligns with Kim’s ongoing promises to expand the nuclear weapons program in response to what he describes as growing military threats led by the United States.
KCNA reported that Kim toured the nuclear installation on Wednesday to examine its operational metrics and future production strategy.
The news agency quoted Kim as stating that the need to strengthen the country’s nuclear war deterrent, in both quality and quantity, has intensified due to confrontations with “the most ferocious enemies,” seemingly referring to the United States and South Korea. Kim pointed to additional unidentified threats and crises as justification for enhancing North Korea’s nuclear capabilities, according to the report.
Kim asserted that North Korea’s production capacity for weapons-grade nuclear materials has more than doubled from five years ago, KCNA stated. Independent verification of this assertion is virtually impossible.
Following a meeting at the site, Kim announced that he and other senior officials “confirmed the order of priority for implementing the ambitious future plan designed to beef up our state’s nuclear forces at an exponential rate,” KCNA reported.
State media photographs depicted Kim moving through narrow pathways surrounded by densely packed rows of metallic tubes and pipes, appearing to be within a centrifuge facility. A separate image captured him discussing matters with high-ranking officials in a conference room, where a blurred diagram showing a cone-shaped item was visible on a table. The nature of the diagram, whether depicting a warhead design, remained unclear.
The facility’s announcement follows less than two years after North Korea revealed another hidden uranium-enrichment plant in September 2024, marking the first public acknowledgment of such a facility since displaying one at the primary Yongbyon nuclear complex to visiting American academics in 2010.
Kim conveyed a comparable message during his 2024 visit to that facility, demanding an increase in centrifuge numbers to “exponentially” grow the country’s nuclear stockpile and pushing for the creation of more advanced centrifuge systems.
Last September, South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young stated that North Korea was running four uranium enrichment facilities in total, including the Yongbyon complex, and that they operated daily.
Nuclear weapons can be constructed using either highly enriched uranium or plutonium, and North Korea maintains facilities to produce both materials at Yongbyon.
North Korea has concentrated on expanding and modernizing its nuclear arsenal since Kim’s high-stakes diplomacy with U.S. President Donald Trump fell apart in 2019. Kim has subsequently rejected U.S. and South Korean proposals to resume diplomatic talks.
In April, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi informed reporters that his organization had verified “a rapid increase” in activities at nuclear facilities in North Korea.
