North Korea doubles production of nuclear materials for weaponry
Tokyo (ANTARA) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has stated that the production capacity for nuclear materials for weaponry purposes in his country has increased more than twofold over the past five years. This was announced during his inspection of a nuclear material production facility that has recently begun operations, according to state media reports on Thursday.
During his visit on Wednesday (3/6), according to reports from the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim received briefings regarding the facility’s long-term production plans and called for the strengthening of North Korea’s nuclear capabilities at what he described as an “exponential” rate.
Photographs released alongside the report, which did not disclose the facility’s location, show the new plant equipped with numerous centrifuges used for uranium enrichment. KCNA quoted Kim as saying that “potential threats and unpredictable long-term crises further underscore the importance and responsibility of this historic mission to strengthen nuclear war deterrence capabilities, in both quality and quantity, sustainably and accelerated.”
He added that the state is obliged “to continue expanding and strengthening the national nuclear force, which serves as the pivot in the implementation of deterrence strategy and war readiness, while simultaneously asserting North Korea’s status as a nuclear-armed state.”
In another photograph released by KCNA, a graphic shows an object placed on a table in a meeting room where Kim was present. The South Korean newspaper, Chosun Ilbo, reported that the object, which was blurred in the KCNA photo, is suspected to be a new type of nuclear warhead.
Earlier this year, Kim pledged to maintain North Korea’s status as a nuclear-armed state and referred to South Korea as the “most hostile” nation, according to KCNA. In September 2025, Kim also stated that Pyongyang could resume negotiations with the United States if Washington no longer demanded the denuclearisation of North Korea.
KCNA also reported Kim’s visit to a nuclear material production facility and the Nuclear Weapons Institute in January 2025. In June last year, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) indicated that North Korea was constructing new uranium enrichment facilities in the Yongbyon region, in the northwest of the country, which share characteristics with existing enrichment facilities in Kangson, near Pyongyang.
In addition to Yongbyon and Kangson, South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong Young also mentioned the existence of another uranium enrichment facility in Kusong, in North Korea’s northwest. The South Korean news agency, Yonhap, reported that Kim likely visited a new facility distinct from those three locations.
During the inspection, Kim was accompanied by several senior officials from the WPK Armament Industry Department and the Nuclear Weapons Institute. However, Hong Sung Mu, the First Vice Director of the WPK Central Committee, believed to be a key figure in North Korea’s nuclear weapons development, was not seen in several of the photos released to the public.