WASHINGTON, Sep 17. New satellite images show North Korea is expanding its key uranium enrichment facility for nuclear weapons, weapons expert and professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Relations Jeffrey Lewis told the TV that images taken by Maxar, It can be seen that a uranium enrichment plant is under construction on the territory of the Yongbyon nuclear research complex. This, according to the expert, may allow the DPRK to increase the production of weapons-grade nuclear materials by 25%.
«The latest expansion in Yongbyon likely reflects plans to increase the production of nuclear materials for weapons production,» Lewis said.
He added that earlier efforts had been made at the site to expand the area to accommodate more enrichment centrifuges.
«The new area is about a thousand square meters, which is enough to house another thousand centrifuges. The addition of a thousand centrifuges will increase the capacity of the facility for the production of highly enriched uranium by 25 percent,» the expert said.
The DPRK on Wednesday launched two ballistic missiles from Yandok County in Pyongannam-do province towards the Sea of Japan. The missiles flew about 800 kilometers at an altitude of 60 kilometers or more. The leader of the DPRK, Kim Jong-un, was not present at the tests. Prior to this, on September 11 and 12, North Korea launched long-range cruise missiles. South Korean President Moon Jae-in called the launches a provocation, which drew criticism from the DPRK.
The IAEA said North Korea is enriching uranium in Yongbyon Previously, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that it had found signs of North Korea's alleged resumption of operation of the nuclear reactor in Yongbyon, which has been inactive since December 2018, since July. Signs include the discharge of coolant and the use of a nearby laboratory where plutonium is separated from spent nuclear fuel.