North Korea’s ‘very serious’ nuclear weapons threat to Washington and NYC | World | News
(FILES) North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump cross south of the Military Demarcation Line that divides North and South Korea, after Trump briefly stepped over to the northern side, in the Joint Security Area (JSA) of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized zone (DMZ) on June 30, 2019. A new push to lift aid sanctions on North Korea could kickstart efforts to lure Kim Jong Un into nuclear negotiations with US President Donald Trump, analysts told AFP. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images) (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog has warned that North Korea has made “very serious” advances in its ability to produce nuclear weapons.
This comes at a time when nuclear warfare is firmly in the public consciousness, amid ongoing Middle East tensions surrounding what the US claims are Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
North Korea is believed to have built approximately 50 nuclear warheads, though some experts remain sceptical of its claims that it can miniaturise 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 surge in activity at the country’s principal nuclear facility, Yongbyon.
He stated that work had escalated at Yongbyon’s 5MW reactor, reprocessing plant, light water reactor and additional installations. North Korea is thought to hold several dozen nuclear warheads.
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 certain experts describe as a fully operational nuclear arsenal, encompassing intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the US mainland.
Under the leadership of Kim Jong Un, the country has dramatically accelerated its nuclear weapons programme in direct defiance of UN sanctions. Experts view this as an attempt to reduce the likelihood of the country eventually becoming a target for regime change at the hands of the US. Grossi’s comments emerged as a US think tank claimed North Korea appeared to have completed construction of a building intended for uranium enrichment at the nuclear facility.
Beyond Parallel, based at the Washington-headquartered Center for Strategic and International Studies, reported this week that satellite imagery suggested the new installation was nearing operational readiness, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
TOPSHOT – This undated picture 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 upgraded solid-fuel rocket engine, state media reported on March 29, in the latest sign of Pyongyang’s push to enhance its strategic weapons arsenal. (Photo by KCNA VIA KNS / AFP via Getty Images) / South Korea OUT / —EDITORS NOTE— RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – MANDATORY CREDIT “AFP PHOTO/KCNA VIA KNS” – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTSTHIS PICTURE WAS MADE AVAILABLE BY A THIRD PARTY. AFP CAN NOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, LOCATION, DATE AND CONTENT OF THIS IMAGE. / (Image: KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images)
The think tank stated that the suspected new enrichment plant at Yongbyon, along with another facility at a site in Kangson near the capital Pyongyang, had not been declared to international nuclear authorities.
It claimed that production of enriched uranium “would significantly increase the number of nuclear weapons North Korea could possess”.
The findings were consistent with an assessment published by the IAEA in June last year, in which it stated the regime was building an enrichment facility at Yongbyon that could be used to manufacture weapons-grade material.
In March, Grossi indicated there was no evidence of “significant change” at the North’s principal nuclear testing site at Punggye-ri, while noting it remained capable of facilitating nuclear tests.
He branded North Korea’s nuclear programme a “clear violation” of UN security council resolutions. He further noted that the agency “continues to maintain its enhanced readiness to play its essential role in verifying [North Korea’s] nuclear programme”. The country has not conducted a nuclear test since 2017, yet has demonstrated considerable advances in its missile capabilities while expanding its weapons stockpile. This is consistent with Kim’s comments last August to pursue a “rapid expansion of nuclearisation”.
Efforts to diplomatically rein in North Korea’s nuclear ambitions have faltered in the wake of unsuccessful summits between Kim and US President Donald Trump during his first term in office, compounded by a deteriorating relationship between the regime and its neighbour, South Korea.
