Kim Jong Un Claims North Korea's Nuclear Material Production Has Doubled

JAKARTA - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un claims that the production capacity of nuclear material for weapons in North Korea has more than doubled in the past five years. The statement comes as Pyongyang again showcases a new nuclear facility whose location is not disclosed.

Quoted from Kyodo News, Thursday, June 4. North Korea's state media, KCNA, reported that Kim reviewed a newly operational nuclear material production facility on Wednesday.

During the visit, Kim received a report on the long-term production plan of the facility. He also called for the strengthening of North Korea's nuclear power "exponentially", or increasing very quickly.

Photos released by KCNA show the new facility is equipped with many centrifuges. A centrifuge is a machine used to enrich uranium. Uranium enrichment means the process of increasing the level of uranium so that it can be used for certain nuclear needs.

According to KCNA, Kim assessed that security threats and long-term crises that are difficult to predict make North Korea need to strengthen its nuclear deterrent capabilities quickly, both in terms of quality and quantity.

Kim also said North Korea needed to continue expanding its nuclear forces as part of its strategy of war prevention and war-fighting capabilities.

In another photo, a graph is seen on the table of the meeting room where Kim is sitting. South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo said the object blurred in the KCNA photo looked like a new type of nuclear warhead.

Earlier this year, Kim promised to maintain North Korea's status as a nuclear-armed state. KCNA also reported that Pyongyang designated South Korea as the "most hostile" country.

In September last year, Kim said North Korea could return to talks with the United States if Washington did not demand denuclearization. Denuclearization means the elimination or cessation of a nuclear weapons program.

Kyodo News reported that KCNA had also previously reported Kim's visit to a nuclear material production base and the Nuclear Weapons Institute in January 2025.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in June last year said North Korea was suspected of building a new uranium enrichment facility in Yongbyon, the country's northwestern region. The facility is said to have characteristics similar to the uranium enrichment plant in Kangson, near Pyongyang.

In addition to Yongbyon and Kangson, South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong Young has mentioned the possibility of another uranium enrichment facility in Kusong, North Korea's northwestern region.

South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that the facility Kim visited this time may be different from the three locations.

During the inspection, Kim was accompanied by senior officials from the Korean Workers' Party's Munitions Industry Department and the Nuclear Weapons Institute.

However, Hong Sung Mu, first vice director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, was not seen in the released photo. He has long been believed to be one of the key figures in the development of North Korea's nuclear weapons.