North Korea released for the first time on Friday, September 13, images of its alleged uranium enrichment facilities, during a visit by Kim Jong-un to the site of a power plant. The North Korean leader called for strengthening the country’s enrichment capabilities.
Pyongyang, which carried out its first nuclear test in 2006 and is subject to numerous United Nations sanctions over its banned weapons programmes, had never publicly shown off the facilities. They would produce highly enriched uranium, needed for the manufacture of nuclear warheads, using high-speed centrifuges.
Kim Jong-un visited the Nuclear Weapons Institute and a military nuclear materials production base, the official KCNA news agency reported, without specifying where the facilities were located or when the visit took place.
The North Korean leader “He stressed the need to further increase the number of centrifuges to exponentially increase nuclear weapons for self-defense”The agency reported, publishing images of the executive inspecting rows of centrifuges. This “became familiar with the production of nuclear warheads” and nuclear materials, according to the agency. It urged “promote the introduction of a new type of centrifuge (…) in order to strengthen the foundations for the production of nuclear materials for military use”. He also asked “set a higher long-term target for the production of the necessary nuclear materials”KCNA added.
North Korea’s nuclear weapons programs are under UN sanctions, but the country ignores these restrictions, thanks in part to support from its allies Russia and China.
A possible message directed at the United States
According to experts, the publication of images of alleged uranium enrichment facilities could be aimed at influencing the US presidential election in November. These images are “a message for the next administration” meaning “it will be impossible to denuclearize North Korea”Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told Agence France-Presse. “It is also a message asking other countries to recognize North Korea as a nuclear state.”He added. However, this focus of attention is unlikely to be quickly followed by a new nuclear test, the analyst said.
North Korea’s main nuclear test site was damaged by flooding caused by torrential rains in late July, according to reports released Wednesday by 38 North, a North Korea analysis program run by the Stimson Center think tank. “it is in very bad condition”. “All roads and railways have been destroyed by the rains and the soil is very fragile”Hong Min also thinks he knows.
Relations between Seoul and Pyongyang are at an all-time low and the North recently announced the deployment of 250 ballistic missile launchers on its southern border. North Korea has launched large numbers of garbage-laden balloons in recent months, with a new batch last week. On Thursday, Seoul announced that North Korea had fired several “short-range ballistic missiles” heading out to sea, its first major weapons test since early July. But KCNA said Friday it was a test of a missile. “New type of 600mm multiple rocket launcher”.
