Explainer: Key Information on North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons Program by Reuters

By Josh Smith

In a significant development, North Korea has revealed the first images of a uranium enrichment facility designed to produce weapons-grade fuel for its nuclear arsenal.

North Korea’s Nuclear Ambitions

North Korea asserts that its stockpile of nuclear weapons and the associated ballistic missiles are essential for countering perceived threats from the United States and its allies, who fought against the North during the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. The regime often presents these weapons as symbols of national pride and displays of power.

The country has developed the capacity to deliver nuclear weapons using various land-based missile systems, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that can potentially reach the continental United States, according to the Arms Control Association.

Critics from both Washington and Seoul regard North Korea’s nuclear arsenal as destabilizing, posing a risk to neighboring countries and diverting resources away from its impoverished population.

Despite multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions prohibiting North Korea’s nuclear and missile development, Russia and China have resisted new sanctions and suggested that current ones be lifted.

Estimate of North Korea’s Nuclear Stockpile

Although North Korean state media has showcased images of different warheads, the total number of weapons in its possession remains undisclosed. Analysts and intelligence agencies can only provide rough estimates. A report published in July by the Federation of American Scientists indicated that North Korea might have produced enough fissile material for up to 90 nuclear warheads but is likely to have assembled around 50.

Expert Lee Sang-kyu from South Korea’s Korea Institute for Defense Analysis estimates that the North has around 80-90 nuclear warheads made from uranium and plutonium, with projections suggesting this number could rise to 166 by 2030.

Nuclear Weapons Development Process

North Korea’s nuclear program involves various facilities across the nation, including uranium mines, enrichment plants, nuclear reactors for converting uranium and plutonium into bomb fuel, and weapons assembly sites.

The Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center, established with Soviet support in the late 1950s, contains at least three reactors that North Korea claims are intended for electricity generation. This facility also features a fuel fabrication plant and a plutonium reprocessing facility capable of extracting weapons-grade materials from spent fuel rods.

One of the newly revealed enrichment locations may be situated within Yongbyon, with additional capacity believed to exist at another site in Kangson.

Nuclear Testing Sites

The Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site, located in the mountainous northeastern region of North Korea, lies approximately 100 kilometers from the Chinese border. North Korea has conducted all six of its nuclear tests there, with dates spanning from 2006 to 2017. While analysts remain skeptical of claims that a test in January 2016 was the country’s first thermonuclear bomb, it is widely believed that a significantly larger nuclear weapon was successfully tested in 2017.

All tests were conducted within tunnels excavated deep beneath the mountains, with three main entrances marked as the South Portal, East Portal, and West Portal. In 2018, North Korea destroyed the entrances in front of select foreign media, declaring a self-imposed halt to nuclear testing.

Since then, leader Kim Jong Un has indicated that he no longer feels bound by this moratorium, particularly as denuclearization discussions have stalled since 2019. Recent satellite imagery in 2022 suggested that North Korea was beginning to restore some of the testing tunnels, raising concerns about the potential for new nuclear tests.