(Files) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump cross south of the military demarcation line dividing North and South Korea, after briefly stepping into the northern part of the Panmunjom Joint Security Area (JSA), in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on June 30, 2019. Told AFP. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images) (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The UN nuclear watchdog has warned that North Korea has made “very serious” progress in its ability to build nuclear weapons.
It comes at a time when nuclear war is firmly in the public consciousness, amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East over US claims over Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
North Korea is believed to have made about 50 nuclear warheads, although some experts are skeptical of its claims that it can miniaturize them for use on long-range ballistic missiles, according to the Guardian.
During a visit to the South Korean capital Seoul on Wednesday, April 15, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi confirmed reports of a significant increase in activity at the country’s major nuclear facility, Yongbyon.
He said work had progressed on Yongbyon’s 5MW reactor, reprocessing plant, light water reactor and additional installations. North Korea is believed to have several dozen nuclear weapons.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspecting the destroyer Choe Hyon (Image: KCNA via KNS/AFP via Getty Images)
Since conducting its first nuclear test two decades ago, the regime has developed what some experts describe as a fully operational nuclear arsenal, including intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the US mainland.
Under the leadership of Kim Jong Un, the country has dramatically accelerated its nuclear weapons program in direct defiance of UN sanctions. Experts see this as an effort to reduce the chances of the country eventually becoming the target of regime change at the hands of the US. Grossi’s comments came as a US think tank claimed North Korea appeared to have completed construction of a building for uranium enrichment at a nuclear facility.
According to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, Beyond Parallel, based at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, reported this week that satellite imagery showed the new installation was close to operational readiness.
TOPSHOT – This undated photo released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on March 29, 2026 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspecting a combustion test of a solid-fuel rocket engine at an undisclosed location in North Korea. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a ground test of an advanced solid-fuel rocket engine, state media reported on March 29, the latest sign of Pyongyang’s pressure to boost its strategic weapons arsenal. (Photo by KCNA via KNS/AFP via Getty Images) / South Korea OUT / —Editor’s Note— Limited to editorial use – Mandatory Credit “AFP Photo/KCNA via KNS” – No marketing, no advertising campaign – Distributed as a service to clients This photo was provided by a third party. AFP cannot independently verify the authenticity, location, date and content of this image. / (Image: KCNA via KNS/AFP via Getty Images)
The suspected new enrichment plant at Yongbyon, as well as another facility at a site in Kangsan, near the capital Pyongyang, were not declared to international nuclear authorities, the think tank said.
It claimed that the production of enriched uranium would “significantly increase the number of nuclear weapons in North Korea’s possession”.
These findings were consistent with an assessment published by the IAEA in June last year, in which it said the regime was building an enrichment facility at Yongbyon that could be used to produce weapons-grade material.
In March, Grossi indicated that there was no evidence of “significant changes” at the North’s key nuclear test site at Punggye-ri, while noting that it is capable of facilitating nuclear tests.
He described North Korea’s nuclear program as a “clear violation” of UN Security Council resolutions. He further said that the agency “continues to maintain its increased readiness to play its essential role in verifying (North Korea’s) nuclear program”. The country has not conducted any nuclear tests since 2017, yet has shown considerable progress in its missile capabilities while expanding its weapons stockpile. This is in line with Kim’s comments last August to pursue “rapid expansion of denuclearization.”
Efforts to diplomatically rein in North Korea’s nuclear ambitions have faltered in the wake of the failed summit between Kim and the US President. donald trump During his first term in office, due to deteriorating relations between the regime and its neighbor, South Korea.
