IAEA raises alarm as North Korea expands uranium enrichment at Yongbyon

North Korea is celebrating its 78th anniversary as the country’s nuclear programme enters a new phase, with the expansion of uranium enrichment activities at a new facility.

North Korea is celebrating its 78th anniversary as the country’s nuclear programme enters a new phase, with the expansion of uranium enrichment activities at a new facility.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) disclosed on August 28 that North Korea has expanded its nuclear activities after establishing a new uranium enrichment facility at its main Yongbyon nuclear complex.

The report also revealed that the facility could accommodate up to 28 centrifuge cascades. Additionally, Pyongyang has started work on an expanded annex at its Kangson enrichment site, marking the country’s rapid expansion of nuclear infrastructure at multiple locations.

According to the nuclear watchdog, a new duplex building has been identified at Yongbyon that appears to be operating as the site’s second uranium enrichment facility. However, when compared with June’s state media photographs, no such building was visible.

Satellite imagery also showed the installation of “gas centrifuge cascades on both the upper and lower floors of the main building.”

According to the report, work at a uranium enrichment facility in Kangson, near Pyongyang, began in January on an annex that was constructed in 2024.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi criticised North Korea’s continued nuclear expansion, calling it a violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

“The ongoing operation of enrichment facilities at Kangson and Yongbyon and the reported further expansion of the DPRK’s production of weapons-grade nuclear material is a cause for serious concern,” Grossi said.

The UN nuclear watchdog has not had inspectors in the country since 2009.

Pyongyang has repeatedly refused to accept the agency’s authority. Last September, the country claimed that North Korea’s status as a “nuclear weapon state is irreversible” and that the IAEA has no legal right to interfere in the internal affairs of a nuclear weapons state that exists outside the Non-Proliferation Treaty.