North Korea has built a new uranium enrichment facility at its Yongbyon nuclear complex capable of housing up to 28 centrifuge cascades, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in an Aug. 28 report.
The IAEA identified a new two-story building at Yongbyon as the site’s second uranium enrichment facility by comparing satellite imagery with photographs released by North Korean state media. According to the report, images from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s June visit to the facility showed gas centrifuge cascades installed on both floors.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi had made comments in April about North Korea’s “very serious increase” to its Yongbyon complex. The newest facility represents a further expansion of North Korea’s nuclear infrastructure, with the IAEA also reporting that operations have begun at an expanded annex of the country’s Kangson uranium enrichment site near Pyongyang.
The agency said the building could accommodate up to 28 of the cascades shown in the photographs.
The IAEA also found indications that operations began in January at an annex of the Kangson enrichment facility that was constructed in 2024.
The agency has not had inspectors in North Korea since 2009 and has relied on satellite imagery and open-source information to monitor the country’s nuclear activities, the report said.
The continued operation and expansion of enrichment facilities at Yongbyon and Kangson raises “serious concern” over North Korea’s production of weapons-grade nuclear material, Grossi said in the report
The developments violate U.N. Security Council resolutions, according to the IAEA. North Korea has rejected the agency’s authority and considers its status as a nuclear weapons state irreversible.