Seoul: Recent photos of North Korea’s uranium enrichment facility have raised suspicions about a previously undeclared site for producing nuclear weapons, located just outside Pyongyang, according to analysts.
On Friday, North Korea released images for the first time of the centrifuges used to produce fuel for its nuclear arsenal, following a visit by leader Kim Jong Un to a uranium enrichment facility. During his visit, Kim emphasized the need for increased production of weapons-grade material to expand the country’s nuclear capabilities.
The released photos depict Kim Jong Un walking among long rows of metal centrifuges—machines essential for uranium enrichment. However, the location of the facility was not disclosed in the report.
Experts and North Korea watchers have identified the site, known as Kangson, as a probable covert uranium enrichment plant. Jeffrey Lewis, a non-proliferation expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, noted that five images from the state media, including views of a “big” hall and an annex, correspond with satellite imagery of the nuclear site. The annex’s distinctive shape and its unique columns and beams strongly suggest that the site in question is Kangson.
“That’s likely Kangson. It is an enrichment plant,” Lewis commented.
North Korea is believed to operate multiple uranium enrichment facilities. Analysts have observed recent construction at both the main Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center and the Kangson site, indicating possible expansion at these locations.
Colin Zwirko, a senior analytical correspondent at NK Pro, a Seoul-based North Korea monitoring website, affirmed that the photos and satellite imagery point to Kangson as the facility shown.
In June, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, indicated that a new annex was under construction at the Kangson complex this year. Grossi noted that the complex shares infrastructure characteristics with the centrifuge enrichment facility at Yongbyon.
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During the North Korean media-covered visit, Kim Jong Un highlighted the urgency of increasing the number of centrifuges to “exponentially increase” the nuclear arsenal and to deploy a new type of centrifuge for enhanced production of weapon-grade materials.
Experts suggest that the advanced design of the centrifuges and the hall with connecting cascades depicted in the photos reflect significant progress in North Korea’s uranium enrichment program. According to 38 North, a Washington-based North Korea monitoring program, “The size of the cascades and hall shown also signify substantial capacity, perhaps not to the level of ‘exponential growth’ as Kim has mandated, but significant growth, nonetheless.” They also speculated that the centrifuges are likely North Korean-designed and manufactured, and the location might be Yongbyon.
Some experts believe the disclosure of this secretive nuclear facility could be aimed at influencing the U.S. election and signaling to the incoming administration that denuclearization is no longer a viable goal.
