North Korea unveiled details of its uranium enrichment facility for the first time, with its leader calling for increasing the number of centrifuges for uranium enrichment so it can increase its nuclear arsenal for self-defense.
A uranium enrichment facility produces highly enriched uranium by spinning uranium in centrifuges at high speeds. This enriched uranium is a critical component in the production of nuclear warheads.
During his visit to the Nuclear Weapons Institute and the “production base of weapon-grade nuclear materials,” Kim Jong Un “went round the control room of the uranium enrichment base to learn about the overall operation of the production lines,” said the state-run Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, on Friday.
Kim expressed great satisfaction after being briefed that the "base is dynamically producing nuclear materials,” while stressing the need to “further augment the number of centrifuges in order to exponentially increase the nuclear weapons for self-defense true to the Party’s line of building up nuclear armed forces,” KCNA added, referring to the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea.
It marks the first time the North has publicly revealed details of its uranium enrichment facility.
KCNA did not reveal the location of the facility, but South Korea and the United States believe North Korea operates uranium enrichment facilities at the Kangson nuclear complex near the capital Pyongyang and at the Yongbyon nuclear site.
Hours after the North’s announcement, South Korea condemned North Korea, saying the development of nuclear weapons is a “serious threat” to peace on the Korean Peninsula and to the world.
“North Korea’s illegal development of nuclear weapons is a clear violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions,” the South’s unification ministry said, adding that the North must clearly recognize that the U.S. and the international community would not tolerate its nuclear weapons program under any circumstances.
“We sternly warn the DPRK that any nuclear threats or provocations will be met with an overwhelming and powerful response from our government and military, based on the unwavering, integrated and extended deterrence system of the U.S.-ROK alliance,” the ministry said.
The DPRK, or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, is North Korea’s official name, while the ROK stands for South Korea’s official name, Republic of Korea.
The North Korean leader Kim said on Monday that the North was building up its nuclear force through "geometrical progression," adding that the U.S.-led expansion of a military bloc in the region posed a grave security threat to North Korea and raised the need for it to bolster its nuclear arsenal.
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“The obvious conclusion is that the nuclear force of the DPRK and the posture capable of properly using it for ensuring the state's right to security in any time should be more thoroughly perfected,” Kim said at that time, calling North Korea a “responsible nuclear weapons state.”
“The DPRK will steadily strengthen its nuclear force capable of fully coping with any threatening acts imposed by its nuclear-armed rival states and redouble its measures and efforts to make all the armed forces of the state including the nuclear force fully ready for combat,” Kim added.
Edited by RFA Staff.