09/15/2024
Kim Jong Un Tours North Korea’s Uranium Enrichment Facilities: What It Could Entail
Eric A. Cinotti, MPA, JD
Eric A. Cinotti, MPA, JD
·
Follow
5 min read
·
17 hours ago
In a new move that drew the international community’s attention to North Korea’s nuclear capability, its leadership has visited a uranium enrichment facility. The visit by Kim Jong Un included a tour of a control room and a construction site, part of an ongoing project to expand the facility’s capacity for the production of nuclear weapons, state-run media outlet Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, reported.
Takeaways of Kim Jong Un’s Visits
North Korea has long pursued nuclear weapons as a form of equal deterrent. Kim’s latest comments, along with imagery from KCNA, suggest intent to expand that capability. Key takeaways from the visit include:
1.Expansion of Uranium Enrichment Facility: As KCNA photos showed, the tour had Kim inspecting long lines of centrifuges-machines which enrich uranium into a key material needed to make a nuclear weapon.
2.Increase Centrifuge Numbers: Kim explained that there is a dire need to increase the quantity of centrifuges in high priority for the production of weapons-grade uranium. He said that the nuclear weapons he is exponentially increasing in North Korea’s arsenal are for “self-defense.”
3.New Centrifuge Technology: Kim ordered officials to speed up the development and deployment of a new kind of centrifuge, probably an advanced model that significantly enhances North Korea’s nuclear capability.
Context: Why Does North Korea Need More Nuclear Weapons?
Rhetoric from Kim Jong Un’s regime can be seen to indicate that external threats, specifically those from the United States and South Korea, are justification for the pursuit of nuclear weapons by North Korea. The KCNA quoted Kim saying U.S.-led “vassal forces” have crossed the “red line” with their nuclear threats. This, for North Korea, is explicit provocation, while expanding its nuclear deterrents is in their eyes the best step toward security.
That is literally the core of the argument for North Korea’s stance: nuclear weapons are to balance the use of aggression from higher powers. Whereas it is universally condemned and prohibited by international bodies like the United Nations, for the regime, it is survival.
International Reaction: South Korea Condemns
Immediately following North Korea’s revelations, the Unification Ministry of South Korea released a strongly worded statement labeling the North’s pursuit of nuclear weapons as “illegal” in defiance of international bans. The ministry described furthering a North Korean capability against nonproliferation norms as a serious threat to world peace. It also warned that such investment in nuclear weapons development will not bring any political or economic good to the North.
A Brief History of North Korean Uranium Enrichment Efforts
North Korea unveiled its uranium enrichment program to the world by allowing a Stanford University delegation, led by nuclear physicist Siegfried Hecker, to visit their facility at Yongbyon in 2010. At the time, North Korean officials claimed 2000 operational centrifuges. That was a meaningful claim because weapons-grade uranium is the core material for nuclear warheads.
Satellite images in later years suggested that North Korea was expanding the enrichment plant at Yongbyon. It also produces plutonium, another key nuclear weapon material, from the same location. However, experts construe North Korea to have undisclosed enrichment facilities as well.
Estimating North Korea’s Nuclear Arsenal
It is hard to discern just how much enriched uranium or plutonium North Korea has, though estimation varies. Some experts suggested that the country had already acquired enough fissile material to produce between 20 to 60 atomic bombs by 2018. Other estimates suggest that the North may now possess over 100 warheads. Recent reports by experts from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, among others, indicate that North Korea is becoming less constrained in its capabilities to enrich uranium. While North Korea still faces more significant hurdles toward the production of weapons-grade plutonium, it is apparently scaling up its uranium enrichment capacity, perhaps preparing to establish a capacity for making nuclear weapons more rapidly.
New Centrifuge Technology: What Does it Mean?
But perhaps most disturbing of all, Kim Jong Un ordered in a new type of centrifuge. According to Lee Choon Geun, a research fellow at South Korea’s Science and Technology Policy Institute, the advanced centrifuges will use carbon fiber technology. The centrifuges have the potential to boost North Korea’s production of highly enriched uranium fivefold to tenfold, making it easier for the country to add more bombs to its inventory in state.
If successful, North Korea might make a jump from producing roughly one nuclear bomb per year to several more. Indeed, such a success would notably raise the threat of North Korea’s nuclear programs first and foremost to its neighbors, but also to the rest of the world.
Larger Geopolitical Implications
A visit by Kim Jong Un and the possible nuclear expansion come amidst heightened tension on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea has been aggressively ramping up its weapons testing since 2022, firing nuclear-capable missiles at the United States and South Korea. Such a move, according to analysts, is part of a broader strategy aimed at modernizing North Korea’s nuclear arsenal and at bettering its deterrence capabilities. Timing has meaning, too. With the U.S. presidential election in less than half a year, analysts speculate North Korea may conduct further tests-either a nuclear explosion or a long-range missile launch-to influence U.S. foreign policy and give the NoKos more “poker chips” in their future dealings with Washington.
Strengthening Ties Between North Korea and Russia
The nuclear ambitions of North Korea go in line with strengthening ties with Russia.
Recent reports indicate military cooperation between the two nations, where both the U.S. and South Korea accused North Korea of supplying arms to Russia, in dire need of military supplies with which to keep its war in Ukraine going. In return, North Korea is believed to be getting military and economic aid from Moscow.
Ties between Pyongyang and Moscow grow in light of a recent visit by a high-ranking Russian delegation led by Sergei Shoigu. Analysts warn that such partnership may make it more complex to seek the restriction of North Korea’s nuclear program, since the regime could feel emboldened by support from Russia.
Conclusion: The Growing Nuclear Threat
A visit by Kim Jong Un to the North Korean uranium enrichment facility shows that the regime intends to increase production speed for nuclear weapons. Shopping around new centrifuge technology could only suggest that North Korea will soon be producing far more weapons-grade uranium than earlier estimated. This development poses a serious challenge to regional and global security, with North Korea showing no signs of slowing down its nuclear ambitions despite international pressure and associated sanctions. While North Korea is still expanding and modernizing its nuclear arsenal, the international community, in particular the United States and South Korea, will have to remain concerned. The links with Russia are closer, and the rhetoric about pre-emptive strikes is louder than ever, so the stakes for diplomatic and security negotiations have never been higher.
AUTHOR:
Eric A. Cinotti, MPA, JD, is a former military professional, holding advanced degrees in criminology, public administration, and law. A trained lawyer and seasoned investigative journalist, Cinotti has been published as a news writer and is the host of The Hostile Zone, a top 5% ranked TV and radio show airing for over a year. He is set to launch a new show focused on law and national security in the coming weeks. Known for his analytical depth and dynamic communication skills, he continues to make significant contributions to media and public discourse.
Eric A. Cinotti
Eric Cinotti — BBS Radio TV -
The Hostile Zone
LinkedIn
IMDB — Eric A. Cinotti
