North Korea is believed to have amassed a large stockpile of weapons-grade uranium, with assessments suggesting that Pyongyang could possess enough material for dozens of nuclear bombs.
South Korea’s Unification Minister, Chung Dong-young, stated on Thursday that an assessment indicated North Korea holds approximately 2,000 kg of highly enriched uranium at a purity of 90 percent or higher. Such a quantity would mark a significant increase in the country’s nuclear material reserves.
Chung also revealed that Pyongyang is operating multiple enrichment plants. “Even at this very hour, North Korea’s uranium centrifuges are operating at four sites,” he said, mentioning only the known site of Yongbyon. North Korea had decommissioned the Yongbyon facility following previous talks but reactivated it in 2021.
Foreign analysts believe that Pyongyang has built additional enrichment facilities as leader Kim Jong Un pushes forward with expanding the country’s nuclear arsenal.
South Korea’s defence ministry has long maintained that North Korea possesses a significant amount of highly enriched uranium, which forms the core material for nuclear warheads.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), approximately 42 kg of highly enriched uranium is required to produce one nuclear weapon. Based on this estimate, 2,000 kg would be sufficient for roughly 47 nuclear bombs.
—
*This story has been sourced from a third-party syndicated feed. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for the dependability, trustworthiness, reliability, or accuracy of the text. Mid-day management and mid-day.com reserve the sole right to alter, delete, or remove (without notice) content at their absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.*
Help us improve further by providing more detailed feedback and stand a chance to win a 3-month e-paper subscription!
https://www.mid-day.com/news/world-news/article/north-korea-may-hold-uranium-for-dozens-of-nuclear-bombs-23595856
