North Korea has released images of its uranium enrichment facility for the first time, showcasing leader Kim Jong Un inspecting the site and calling for an increase in centrifuges to expand its nuclear arsenal. The images, published by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), revealed Kim’s tour of the Nuclear Weapons Institute and the “production base of weapon-grade nuclear materials.”
This disclosure comes amid ongoing international concerns over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, which is banned under United Nations sanctions. The North’s move is seen by experts as a signal to the United States and the global community that denuclearization is not an option, and it could be an attempt to influence the upcoming US presidential election. The facility is believed to be the secretive Kangson site near Pyongyang, and the sudden reveal suggests a demand for recognition as a nuclear state.
South Korea criticized the development as a violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and condemned the North’s ambitions to boost production of materials for tactical nuclear weapons.
