In Addition To Missile Test Firing, North Korea Expands Uranium Enrichment Facility: Capable Of Accommodating 1.000 Centrifuges

Illustration of a satellite image of the Yongbyon nuclear facility, North Korea. (Source: mynorthkorea.blogspot)

JAKARTA - North Korea has just conducted a test-firing of two types of missiles. Last weekend, North Korea fired a cruise missile. Yesterday, North Korea fired a missile-based launch vehicle from a train.

These two moments seem to signal the re-activation of North Korea's weapons program. Citing CNN Friday, September 17, the latest satellite images reveal North Korea is expanding a major facility capable of enriching uranium for nuclear weapons.

Experts who analyzed the photos taken by the Maxar company said the renovation at the uranium enrichment plant, located in the Yongbyon Nuclear Research Facility complex, was related to plans to increase production capacity.

Jeffrey Lewis, a weapons expert and professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, said construction in the area would allow North Korea to increase production of weapons-grade nuclear material by as much as 25 percent.

"The recent expansion at Yongbyon may reflect plans to increase production of nuclear material for weapons production", he explained, noting the ongoing construction was consistent with previous efforts to increase floor space at the facility, allowing it to accommodate more centrifuges and thus, enrich more uranium. every year.

"The new area is approximately 1.000 square meters, enough space to accommodate an additional 1.000 centrifuges. The addition of 1.000 new centrifuges will increase the plant's capacity to produce highly enriched uranium by 25 percent", Lewis said.

He added that if North Korea upgrades the types of centrifuges currently used in this plant, the renovation could increase the plant's capacity substantially.

Separately, US officials are aware of recent activity at the Yongbyon uranium enrichment plant, acknowledging the development could signal plans to increase production of weapons-grade uranium, according to two sources familiar with the situation.

However, the National Security Council, Department of Defense, Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the CIA all declined to comment.

Evidence that North Korea is expanding the size of its uranium enrichment plant at Yongbyon is also likely to exacerbate concerns stemming from a recent International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report, which said the country appeared to have restarted nuclear reactors at the same complex.

The report said this was the first indication of activity at the reactor since December 2018, citing North Korea's nuclear activity as a cause for serious concern and a new development that is deeply troubling.