Kim Jong Un Inspects New Nuclear Plant, Vowing Exponential Force Growth as Capacity More Than Doubles
Updated
Updated · CNN · Jun 4
Kim Jong Un Inspects New Nuclear Plant, Vowing Exponential Force Growth as Capacity More Than Doubles
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Jun 4
Summary
Kim Jong Un toured a new weapons-grade nuclear material plant and said North Korea will expand its nuclear forces at an “exponential rate,” state media reported.
Five years of buildup have more than doubled Pyongyang’s capacity to produce bomb fuel, Kim said, with the new facility using “more sophisticated technology” and photos showing rows of centrifuges.
U.S. and IAEA assessments already point to at least two active enrichment plants, while North Korea is believed to have enough fissile material for up to 90 warheads and to have assembled about 50.
The plant’s location was not disclosed, leaving unclear whether Kim visited the suspected new Yongbyon enrichment site or another previously unknown facility.
The visit underscores North Korea’s shift from showcasing tests to signaling mass production after denuclearization talks with Washington collapsed, reinforcing a broader global rise in deployable nuclear arsenals.