North Korea released images of leader Kim Jong Un touring a uranium-enrichment facility, expressing satisfaction with the production of weapons-grade nuclear materials and urging an increase in their stockpile. The timing of the release, coinciding with the U.S. presidential debate, may be intended to raise North Korea’s nuclear profile ahead of potential negotiations. The location and date of the visit were not disclosed.
Enriched uranium is essential for making nuclear warheads and is produced using centrifuges. Estimates suggest North Korea has around 50 stored nuclear warheads, though the country has never publicly revealed its exact stockpile.
North Korea last conducted an underground nuclear test in 2017, and its recent display of its uranium-enrichment facility may be a message to the next U.S. administration that denuclearization is unlikely. The release of these images offers a rare glimpse into a secretive aspect of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
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