U.S.-based North Korea watchdog 38 North reported on Sunday that Pyongyang has been detected modernizing and expanding its Yongbyon nuclear facility.
Analyzing satellite imagery from October 22, 38 North assessed that North Korea appears to have conducted additional expansion work on a structure believed to house uranium enrichment facilities within the nuclear complex.
This development follows an August report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) suggesting possible expansion of uranium enrichment activities in the southern sector of the Yongbyon site. At that time, satellite imagery revealed a new blue-roofed building situated between the existing 50-megawatt (MWe) reactor and a radiochemistry laboratory.
October satellite imagery shows the completion of a new small auxiliary building east of the blue-roofed structure, along with the addition of a vehicle storage facility to its northwest. The surrounding area has been reinforced with concrete paving, and the site’s slope has been terraced.
Images from November 13 indicate the installation of six heat exchangers in the blue-roofed building. These devices are crucial for centrifuge cooling and internal temperature regulation.
38 North also reported ongoing construction of a semi-buried radioactive waste storage facility within the complex’s waste site.
Satellite images from June 11 showed a concrete structure measuring roughly 20 by 12 meters (about 65 by 39 feet) with nine roof hatches consistent with known nuclear waste storage facilities. By October, the structure had been partially buried, with only its roof remaining visible.
38 North analysts suggest that the expansion of waste storage capacity aligns with Kim Jong Un’s January directives to increase nuclear material production, issued during a public inspection of nuclear facilities.
While the experimental light water reactor (ELWR) maintains its external appearance, November 13 imagery showed signs of coolant discharge. 38 North interprets this as an indication that the reactor may still be in pre-operational testing.
October 22 imagery also revealed renovation work on the 150-meter-long (about 492-feet-long) hydrofluoric acid-handling building, which is critical to uranium enrichment. The roof showed signs of partial renovation or demolition.
The dismantling of the 50 MWe reactor, which began in June, continues, with recent imagery showing the main reactor hall being dismantled using mobile cranes.
Approximately 3km (about 1.9 miles) north of the 5 MWe reactor, 38 North identified about 80 pipes of varying lengths on the river’s east bank. While their exact purpose remains unclear, analysts speculate they could be intended for dam construction, levee building, or riverbank reinforcement.