North Korea has expanded its uranium enrichment infrastructure with a newly constructed facility at the Yongbyon nuclear complex that could accommodate up to 28 centrifuge cascades, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The development has raised fresh concerns over Pyongyang's expanding nuclear programme. The IAEA said its assessment indicates that uranium enrichment activities are continuing at both Yongbyon and Kangson, pointing to a broader expansion of North Korea's nuclear-material production capacity.
Editorial Insight
Key Highlights
Important points readers should notice.
Issue/Event: Expansion of North Korea's uranium-enrichment infrastructure
Location: Yongbyon nuclear complex and Kangson near Pyongyang
Authority/Organisation: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Action Taken: Nuclear facilities monitored through satellite imagery and open-source information
Impact: Fresh concerns over North Korea's growing nuclear-material production capacity
The new Yongbyon facility is a two-storey building. Satellite imagery and photographs released by North Korean state media were used by the IAEA to identify centrifuge cascades on both floors. The agency assessed that the structure could accommodate up to 28 of these cascades, although it has not confirmed the exact number of centrifuges installed or the facility's precise operating capacity.
The construction of the new facility began in December 2024. Subsequent work included the installation of power-supply equipment, emergency generators and cooling systems. The IAEA also observed indications that one of the cooling units was operating earlier this year.
The latest assessment also points to activity at North Korea's Kangson uranium-enrichment complex near Pyongyang. The IAEA said an annex built next to the existing facility in 2024 showed indications of having started operations in January 2026.
Editorial Analysis
Why This Matters
The expansion is significant because it suggests that North Korea continues to increase its capacity to produce nuclear material despite international sanctions and UN restrictions.
The agency said it could not rule out the possibility that highly enriched uranium is being produced in parts of the Kangson facility. At the same time, the IAEA has cautioned that it cannot directly verify the exact configuration or operational status of facilities because its inspectors have not been present in North Korea since 2009.
The IAEA also reported indications that the existing uranium-enrichment facility at Yongbyon continued operating during the reporting period. It further observed indications that reprocessing work to separate plutonium from spent nuclear fuel had been completed.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said the continued operation and expansion of enrichment facilities at Yongbyon and Kangson were a cause for serious concern. The agency considers the continued development of North Korea's nuclear programme a violation of relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.
North Korea has repeatedly rejected the IAEA's authority and maintains that its nuclear-weapons status is irreversible. The country has also remained outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty framework applicable to non-nuclear-weapon states.
