Listeners:
Top listeners:
-
play_arrow
North Korea’s Uranium Capacity Could Jump 75% With New Yongbyon Facility
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
(Worthy News) – North Korea’s uranium-enrichment capacity could soon rise by roughly 75% once a new facility at its Yongbyon nuclear complex reaches full production, according to a Wall Street Journal exclusive citing analysis from Vertic, a London-based arms-control verification group.
The new facility is estimated to house more than 9,000 centrifuges capable of producing about 160 kilograms of highly enriched uranium per year. Vertic previously estimated that North Korea could produce roughly 215 kilograms annually, meaning the new site would mark a major expansion of Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program.
“North Korea probably has all the material they’d need for a medium-sized nuclear arsenal already. And now it looks like they’re running up the numbers,” said Grant Christopher, a Vertic analyst involved in the assessment.
North Korea is believed to have about 60 nuclear warheads, along with enough fissile material to produce at least 90 more, according to a new estimate by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Analysts estimate Pyongyang’s highly enriched uranium stockpile at roughly 2,100 kilograms.
Kim Jong Un recently inspected the new enrichment site, which is located at the heart of the Yongbyon nuclear complex, and vowed to pursue “larger plans” for the country’s nuclear program. North Korean state media showed Kim walking past rows of centrifuges while praising scientists for more than doubling the country’s weapons-grade nuclear material production capacity.
The expansion underscores Kim’s determination to grow North Korea’s nuclear arsenal despite years of international sanctions and diplomatic pressure from the United States and its allies. It also comes as China, once more vocal in pressing Pyongyang over denuclearization, has recently avoided public demands on the issue while seeking closer ties with North Korea.
The new facility was reportedly built in about 18 months. Analysts noted that it was placed prominently inside Yongbyon rather than hidden in a remote mountain site, suggesting Pyongyang intended for the outside world to see the expansion.
The development signals that Kim is unlikely to pursue a serious nuclear rollback agreement with Washington or other powers, despite past offers of sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on North Korea’s weapons program.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un marked the 73rd anniversary of the Korean War armistice by paying tribute at war memorials and cemeteries, accompanied for the first time by his daughter, Ju Ae, in a move that analysts say further underscores her increasingly prominent public role.
President Donald Trump said Monday that Iran is seeking negotiations after two weeks of sustained American airstrikes, portraying Tehran’s diplomatic outreach as evidence that the U.S. military campaign has forced the Islamic regime back to the bargaining table.
President Donald Trump and three Republican senators are pressing Senate Majority Leader John Thune to keep the chamber in session through August until lawmakers pass the SAVE America Act, escalating a growing dispute over one of the president’s top election-integrity priorities.
President Donald Trump announced Sunday that Morocco was naming a major Atlantic expressway in his honor, drawing renewed attention to a sweeping infrastructure project linking the kingdom’s southern regions with the disputed territory of Western Sahara.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed for Washington on Monday ahead of a closely watched meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, saying Iran and efforts to expand regional peace agreements would be at the center of the discussions. Netanyahu left Israel from Nevatim Airbase after an unexplained delay under heightened security precautions.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said Damascus is seeking a security agreement with Israel that could eventually open the door to broader peace talks, declaring that his government has no interest in entering another military confrontation with the Jewish state.
Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has openly called for continued “jihad and resistance” against Israel and the United States while declaring the defense of Hezbollah a strategic obligation of the Islamic Republic.
WHO WE ARE
The Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs encapsulate the beauty, wisdom, and eternal truths found in the Bible, creating an immersive experience that resonates with believers and seekers alike.
CONTACT
- +1 908 280-4246
- Essex County, USA
- info@tnjrfm.com