The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has expressed grave concerns over North Korea’s construction of a new facility in Nyongbyon, which is suspected to be a uranium enrichment plant.
According to a report by The Daily Yomiuri, the IAEA warned on Monday that North Korea could potentially expand its uranium enrichment capabilities using this new facility.
Analysis of satellite imagery and other intelligence gathered over the past year revealed that construction of the new facility in Nyongbyon began in December last year, with exterior work completed by May this year.
Sources indicate that this facility bears similarities to the uranium enrichment plant in Kangson, near Pyongyang.
The Daily Yomiuri reported that Nyongbyon has long housed facilities for producing the highly enriched uranium needed for nuclear weapons, suggesting that this new construction signals an acceleration of North Korea’s nuclear program.
The report also noted that the Punggye-ri nuclear test site remains primed for a potential new nuclear test.
The IAEA expressed deep concern over these developments and affirmed its commitment to continuing verification activities. Based on this report, the agency plans to address North Korea’s nuclear developments at its annual general conference next month.
Previously, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi informed the IAEA Board in June about the construction of a facility in Nyongbyon with characteristics similar to the Kangson nuclear complex near Pyongyang.
Since the collapse of the Hanoi summit between the U.S. and North Korea in 2019, Pyongyang is believed to have continued its nuclear material production, including reactivating the reactor at the Nyongbyon nuclear facility and engaging in both plutonium reprocessing and uranium enrichment.