3 months ago
22
North Korea's recently released photos of its
uranium enrichment
facility have generated a lot of curiosity among analysts, suggesting several undeclared sites for building a nuclear bomb.
On Friday, North Korea released a few images of the uranium enrichment facility filled with centrifuges that produce fuel for its nuclear bombs.
Although the report did not mention the site location the images of the inside facility matched the satellite imagery of the nuclear site which led to a conclusion that the place is
Kangson
, reported Reuters.
According to a non-proliferation expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies Jeffrey Lewis the annex's odd shape and its unusual set of columns and beams are a "strong match" to the site North Korea constructed this year.
"That's likely Kangson. It is an enrichment plant," Lewis added.
In the newly released photos, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un could be seen walking between long rows of metal centrifuges, the machines that enrich uranium. The report did not mention the facility's location.
North Korea is believed to have multiple sites for enriching uranium.
Analysts have observed construction in recent years at both the main
Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center
and the Kangson site, suggesting possible expansion at both locations.
Colin Zwirko, a senior analytical correspondent with NK Pro, a Seoul-based website that monitors North Korea, and Rafael Grossi, the International Atomic Energy Agency's director general, have also pointed out similarities between the Kangson complex and the reported centrifuge enrichment facility at Yongbyon.
During Kim's visit, he emphasized the need to increase the number of centrifuges to "exponentially increase" the nuclear arsenal and expand the use of a new type of centrifuge to enhance the production of weapon-grade nuclear materials.
Experts noted that the photos, which showed an advanced design of centrifuges and the hall with cascades connecting them, indicated progress in North Korea's uranium enrichment program. The Washington-based North Korea monitoring programme, 38 North, stated, "The size of the cascades and hall shown also signify substantial capacity, perhaps not to the level of 'exponential growth' as Kim has mandated, but significant growth, nonetheless."
"It is probable that these centrifuges are North Korean designed and manufactured," it said, adding that the location shown in the photos could be Yongbyon, as per Reuters.
Some experts have also suggested that the disclosure of this secretive nuclear facility could be an attempt to influence the U.S. election and convey a message to the next administration that denuclearisation is no longer a viable option.
