North Korea has unveiled a new facility for producing nuclear bomb fuels, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The facility uses “more sophisticated technology” but lacks specifics about location and operation start date. Photos from KCNA show what appears to be a large centrifuge hall, suggesting the plant is used for enriching weapons-grade uranium.
The announcement aligns with Kim Jong Un’s pledges to expand North Korea’s nuclear forces rapidly in response to escalating U.S.-led military threats. KCNA reported that Kim visited the facility on Wednesday to review its operation indices and long-term production plans. He stated the urgency for bolstering both quality and quantity of nuclear deterrence due to confrontations with “the most ferocious enemies,” likely referring to the United States and South Korea.
KCNA quoted Kim saying North Korea’s weapons-grade nuclear materials production capacity has more than doubled since five years ago, though independent verification is impossible. After visiting the facility, Kim affirmed that he and other top officials prioritized implementing plans to exponentially increase state’s nuclear forces.
Photos from KCNA show Kim walking through aisles lined with silver tubes and pipes, likely centrifuges, and speaking in a meeting room with blurred images possibly depicting warhead designs. This revelation follows less than two years after North Korea disclosed another uranium-enrichment plant in September 2024, its first public announcement since revealing one at the Yongbyon nuclear complex to American scholars in 2010.
Kim’s visit to that facility in 2024 called for increasing centrifuge numbers exponentially to expand nuclear arsenal and developing more advanced systems. In April, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi confirmed a rapid increase in North Korean nuclear activities. March saw the U.S. Treasury Department impose sanctions on six individuals and two companies accused of aiding North Korea’s nuclear weapons program with remote IT workers defrauding businesses and funneling hundreds of millions into the regime.
Earlier that month, North Korean state media broadcast images showing Kim inspecting a naval destroyer, vowing to build “the strongest navy” in history. Experts suggest these images may have been intended to bolster North Korea’s image following U.S. strikes on Iran.