CHILLING new photos reveal the inside of a secret North Korean nuclear facility for the first time.
Pyongyang offered a rare glimpse into the uranium enrichment facility as Kim Jong Un called for efforts to strengthen his nuclear arsenal.
The North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected the Nuclear Weapons Institute and the production base in North KoreaEPA
Kim was pictured surrounded by military men at the facility in an undisclosed locationEPA
The despot called for more nuclear weaponsEPA
State media released pictures of the despot on the site, showing centrifuges that produce fuel for its nuclear bombs.
Although it remains unclear whether the facility is located in North Korea’s main Yongbyon nuclear complex, it’s the first time the country has revealed a uranium enrichment facility.
The pictures showed Kim surrounded by men in military uniforms walking between long rows of metal centrifuges.
The North Korean leader visited the Nuclear Weapons Institute and the facility producing weapons-grade nuclear materials, state media KCNA reported.
It said the purpose of Kim’s visit was to lay out a “long-term plan for increasing the production of weapon-grade nuclear materials.”
The last time North Korea showed a uranium enrichment site in Yongbyon was in November 2010, when it allowed a visiting delegation of Stanford University scholars to tour its centrifuges.
Kim stressed the need to increase the number of nuclear weapons for self-defence and ordered officials to push forward the introduction of a new type of centrifuge.
The photos that were released today showed about 1,000 centrifuges.
When operated year-round, they would be able to produce around 44 to 55 pounds of highly enriched uranium, which would be enough to create a single bomb, according to Yang Uk, a security expert at Seoul Asan Institute for Policy Studies.
The new-type centrifuge Kim wants to introduce is likely an advanced carbon fibre-based one that could allow North Korea to produce five to 10 times more highly enriched uranium than its existing ones, said Lee Choon Geun, an honorary research fellow at South Korea Science and Technology Policy Institute.
It comes as the North Korean leader continues to ramp up the country’s production capabilities and strengthen relations with Russia.
The dictator was spotted last month touring some of the country’s major weapons factories.
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He vowed to build North Korea’s nuclear arsenal at its “fastest pace”.
The tyrant threatened to use his nuclear forces if provoked as he delivered a speed during a huge military parade that featured the state’s most powerful weapons systems.
It comes as Pyongyang has stepped up weapons tests and displays of military power amid stalled denuclearisation talks with the United States and an incoming conservative administration in South Korea.
US and South Korean officials say there are signs of new construction at North Korea‘s only nuke test site – which has been officially shuttered since 2018.
Satellite images by Maxar from March appeared to show repair work happening at the Punggye-ri site, which may suggest Pyongyang could be preparing to resume testing nuclear weapons.
“The nuclear forces of our Republic should be fully prepared to fulfil their responsible mission and put their unique deterrent in motion at any time,” Kim told the parade, according to state news agency KCNA.
He called for the mass-production of “various kinds of cutting-edge strategic weapon engines… and thus make a great contribution to bringing about a revolution in developing new strategic weapons of our style.”
Professor Justin Hastings at the University of Sydney told The Sun: North Korea wanted to “strengthen” countries that were hostile to the US and South Korea by selling them weapons.
North Korea is banned from selling weapons by strict UN-backed sanctions.
Kim Jong Un was also pictured inspecting the training base of the special operation armed forces of the Korean People’s ArmyAFP
He was seen inspecting a test firing of a new-type 600mm multiple rocket launcherAFP