North Korea’s Work at Uranium Plant Points to Missile Buildup
- Satellite images show an expansion of facility at Yongbyon
- Latest sign Kim Jong Un shifted from talks to arms production
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North Korea is expanding a plant used to enrich uranium for nuclear bombs, two reports based on satellite imagery show, in another sign that Kim Jong Un is removing self-imposed constraints on his atomic weapons program put in place during talks with the U.S.
The enrichment plant at the Yongbyon nuclear complex has been expanded and units that control its internal temperature have been removed in recent weeks, according to reports posted Thursday on the Arms Control Wonk and 38 North websites. Still, analysts differed on what the cooling units’ removal indicated about production at the facility, which is being watched for clues whether Kim has shifted away from negotiating and toward arms buildup.