IAEA Warns Of North Korea Nuclear Expansion; Kim Rejects Denuclearisation

Member states of the International Atomic Energy Agency have expressed growing concern over North Korea's expanding nuclear programme, with new evidence pointing to increased activity at key uranium enrichment facilities. Pyongyang has also ruled out denuclearisation and declared its nuclear status “absolute”. The International Atomic Energy Agency's General Conference adopted a resolution on Thursday that pointed to an “increased level of activity” at some North Korean nuclear sites and further development of the programme.

The resolution asked North Korea to stop its nuclear activities and meet its international obligations. It won support from 103 countries. Six countries, including Russia and China, voted against it and 14 abstained.

The warning matters because the IAEA is tracking North Korea's programme without access inside the country. Moneycontrol reported that the agency is relying mainly on satellite imagery and other publicly available information as evidence of activity building at uranium enrichment sites.

Yongbyon Expansion Details

New construction is at the centre of the concern.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said in a report before the conference that satellite imagery showed a newly built facility at North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear complex. The IAEA assessed that the building could house up to 28 centrifuge cascades, signalling possible further growth in the country's uranium-enrichment capacity.

The agency also reported activity at the Kangson uranium enrichment complex near Pyongyang. An annex built at Kangson appears to have entered operation, adding to signs that enrichment capacity is expanding there as well.

The IAEA has not inspected North Korea on the ground since Pyongyang shut out its inspectors in 2009. Since then, it has depended on satellite images and other open-source information to track developments, a method that offers less certainty than direct access.

Kim's Nuclear Rejection

Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, rejected the IAEA's discussion of denuclearisation and said North Korea's status as a nuclear-armed state was “absolute”. She also dismissed calls made at the Vienna conference as “familiar silly talk”, according to North Korean state media.

Kim said the country's nuclear status could not be reversed. She rejected attempts by the IAEA and Western countries to push North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons programme.

That stance fits North Korea's broader position. Pyongyang has repeatedly argued that its nuclear capability is necessary for the country's security and has continued to reject the possibility of denuclearisation.

Long-Term Nuclear Buildout

The latest warning is part of a longer trend.

The IAEA's concerns follow a series of steps by Pyongyang to widen its nuclear capability. Kim Jong Un has announced plans to strengthen the country's “national nuclear force”, while state media has reported activity at facilities tied to the production and processing of nuclear materials.

Uranium enrichment is a key stage in producing fissile material that can be used in nuclear weapons. That makes signs of new capacity at Yongbyon and Kangson important, even if the full scale of operations cannot be verified from outside the country.

Satellite imagery can show construction and visible changes at nuclear sites. But without inspections, the UN watchdog has only limited visibility into a programme that has kept growing despite repeated international calls for denuclearisation.