North Korea’s nuclear weapons: ‘Very serious increase’: UN monitor highlights sharp increase in North Korea’s nuclear activity at Yongbyon
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said during a visit to Seoul on Wednesday that the monitoring indicated a “rapid increase in operations” at the Yongbyon nuclear complex, the central hub of Pyongyang’s nuclear program.“In our periodic assessments, we have been able to confirm that there has been a rapid increase in reactor operations at Yongbyon,” Grossi said, warning that all signs point to an expansion in North Korea’s weapons production capacity.
Increasing activity in Yongbyon raises concerns
The UN watchdog has noticed an increase in activity not only at the five-megawatt reactor but also at the reprocessing unit and light-water reactor at Yongbyon, news AFP reported. Grossi said the activation of additional facilities further underscores the scale of the expansion.“All this points to a very serious increase in the DPRK’s capabilities in the field of nuclear weapons production,” he said, noting that the program is now estimated at “a few dozen weapons.”The agency has explored the construction of a new uranium enrichment facility similar to an existing uranium enrichment facility, which suggests a significant increase in production capacity. Satellite imagery cited by the Center for Strategic and International Studies supports this assessment, indicating the possibility of completion of a plant capable of producing weapons-grade materials.
Promotion incentives and global concerns
According to Reuters, experts say uranium enrichment offers North Korea an alternative and potentially more effective route to plutonium reprocessing as well as weapons-grade material.Grossi said that while direct inspection is not possible – since Pyongyang expelled IAEA inspectors in 2009 – external analysis of the facilities indicates a “significant increase in enrichment capacity” of the country.Despite concerns over growing ties between Moscow and Pyongyang, Grossi said the agency had not seen “anything in particular” suggesting Russian assistance in North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.North Korea, which conducted its first nuclear test in 2006, is under heavy UN sanctions and has repeatedly said it will not give up its nuclear arsenal, raising concerns about regional security and global nuclear proliferation.