North Korea has, for the first time, offered a glimpse into one of its uranium enrichment facilities, a material necessary for its nuclear weapons.
The photographs show the Asian country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, who recently promised to «exponentially» increase the nation’s nuclear weapons arsenal, inspecting the site. North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Friday that Kim had asked the facility to boost its production.
Enriched uranium is essential for the production of nuclear warheads.
A display of military power
The photograph shows Kim walking among rows of centrifuges and speaking with military officials. The release of the image comes amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
«[Kim] toured the control room of the uranium enrichment facility to understand the overall operation of the production lines,» reported KCNA. In the statement, the agency added that the leader «felt strong» upon seeing the site.
The South Korean government, meanwhile, has strongly condemned the North’s plans to increase uranium production.
North Korea did not disclose when Kim’s visit took place or which facility he visited, whether it was part of its Yongbyon nuclear complex or another undisclosed site.
Experts have long suspected that Pyongyang is secretly operating at least one uranium enrichment facility, in addition to its well-known Yongbyon site. Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, stated that North Korea revealed the facility to «boast about its nuclear development and signal that its weapons program is irreversible.»
«Kim’s regime may also be flaunting the fact that it still enjoys diplomatic and economic support from Russia and China, despite its nuclear buildup,» Easley added in remarks to the BBC.
Raising the tension
For his part, Hong Min, senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told the AFP news agency that the photographs could be a «message» ahead of the upcoming U.S. presidential election, intended to show the next administration that it would be «impossible to denuclearize North Korea.»
«It is also a message demanding that other countries recognize North Korea as a nuclear state,» Hong added.
South Korea’s Ministry of Unification condemned the North for making the facility public, adding that the illegal deployment of nuclear weapons violates several United Nations Security Council resolutions.
«Any nuclear threat or provocation from North Korea will be met with an overwhelming and strong response from our government and military, based on the solid extended deterrence of the South Korea-U.S. alliance,» warned the South Korean government.
The number of nuclear weapons North Korea possesses is unknown, but a recent estimate puts the figure at 50, with the country having enough material to produce another 40.