North Korea’s uranium facility might have huge impacts in international politics

News Mania Desk/ Piyal Chatterjee / 13th September 2024

On Friday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a uranium enrichment facility and demanded additional weapons-grade material to increase the arsenal. It was also the first time the country had displayed pictures of the centrifuges that create fuel for its nuclear bombs.
The first images of the centrifuges were released with the state media report on Kim’s visit to the Nuclear Weapons Institute and a production base for weapon-grade nuclear materials. These images offer a unique glimpse inside North Korea’s nuclear program, which is prohibited by numerous UN Security Council resolutions.
Kim was pictured in the pictures moving between extended rows of uranium-enriching metal centrifuges. The location of the institution and the date of the visit were not specified in the report.
Kim said that the nation’s nuclear arsenal is essential for fending off threats from the US and its allies, and he pushed workers to develop more materials for tactical nuclear weapons.
For “self-defence and the capability for a preemptive attack,” he stated, the weapons are essential.

The report quotes the North Korean leader as saying that “anti-DPRK nuclear threats” from “U.S. imperialists-led vassal forces” have exceeded the red line.
There are reportedly multiple locations in North Korea for uranium enrichment. Experts claim that recent development at the main Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center, including its uranium enrichment plant, has been visible on commercial satellite imagery, indicating a potential expansion.

The report quotes the North Korean leader as saying that “anti-DPRK nuclear threats” from “U.S. imperialists-led vassal forces” have exceeded the red line.
There are reportedly multiple locations in North Korea for uranium enrichment. Experts claim that recent development at the main Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center, including its uranium enrichment plant, has been visible on commercial satellite imagery, indicating a potential expansion.

Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, stated on Monday that the United Nations nuclear watchdog has seen activity that was compatible with a reactor operating and the purported centrifuge enrichment facility at Yongbyon.
In order to “exponentially increase” the number of nuclear bombs, Kim emphasized the necessity of expanding the usage of a new type of centrifuge in order to significantly strengthen the manufacture of nuclear materials suitable for weapons use.
According to Ankit Panda of the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, North Korea is improving its fuel cycle capabilities with the use of this new type of centrifuge.

Estimates of the number of North Korean nuclear weapons varies widely. In July a report by the Federation of American Scientists concluded that the country may have produced enough fissile material to build up to 90 nuclear warheads, but that it has likely assembled closer to 50.

Kim also oversaw the test launch of a new 600mm multiple launch rocket system on Thursday and visited an army training base on Wednesday, according to separate KCNA reports.

In a statement carried by KCNA, North Korea’s foreign ministry institute spokesperson criticized a recent defence ministerial meeting between member states of the U.S.-led United Nations Command in Seoul, calling it a “war organization.”