North Korea’s Hidden Nuclear Plans Revealed – And They’re More Dangerous Than We Thought

On Wednesday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) revealed that the highly enriched uranium (HEU) production facility visited by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in September is believed to be the undeclared Kangson complex near Pyongyang.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi stated during the board meeting in Vienna that the IAEA continues to monitor North Korea’s nuclear program.

Grossi referenced Kim’s September visit to nuclear facilities, noting that images showed centrifuge cascades and infrastructure consistent with the layout of a centrifuge enrichment facility. These details match the main building of the Kangson complex and its newly constructed annex.

He added that the images of centrifuge installations in the annex align with Kim’s directives to increase centrifuge capacity for enhanced nuclear weapons production.

Grossi emphasized that the revelation of an undeclared enrichment facility and Kim’s orders to boost weapons-grade nuclear material production are deeply concerning.

North Korean state media disclosed on September 13 that Kim had inspected a weapons-grade nuclear material production facility but did not specify its location.

While North Korea had previously shown uranium enrichment facilities with 2,000 centrifuges to U.S. nuclear physicist Dr. Siegfried Hecker and his team in Yongbyon in November 2010, this marks the first public disclosure of such facilities through state media.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service stated on September 26 that, based on past evidence, the facility Kim visited is likely Kangson, but it cannot provide a definitive answer.

Grossi also reported ongoing operations at the centrifuge enrichment facilities in the Yongbyon nuclear complex. He noted intermittent activity at Yongbyon’s light-water reactor, which was consistent with ongoing commissioning processes. The 5 MW reactor at Yongbyon was observed to be non-operational from mid-August to mid-October, potentially allowing time for refueling and initiating a seventh operational cycle. Grossi added that spent fuel removed from the reactor could be reprocessed after several months of cooling.

Regarding the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in North Hamgyong Province, Grossi stated that it remains prepared to support nuclear testing without significant changes.

Grossi expressed deep concern over the disclosure of undeclared enrichment facilities and the ongoing development of North Korea’s nuclear program, including continued light-water reactor operations. He stressed that these activities clearly violate relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

He urged North Korea to fully comply with its obligations under the relevant Security Council resolutions and to cooperate swiftly with the IAEA to ensure effective implementation of Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) safeguards.