North Korea’s New Uranium Plant Could Grow Its Arsenal

The country is building a huge new enrichment center in Yongbyon that could lift its capacity to 75 percent. Kim Jong Un toured the site last week and said the plan is “exponential. ” He claimed the nation’s nuclear power is now “inconceivable. ” Experts say the plant will hold over 9, 000 centrifuges and could produce about 353 pounds of highly enriched uranium each year. That would add to the roughly 2. 3 tons of fissile material North Korea already has. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimates the country owns 60 warheads and could make at least 90 more.This is an increase from the about 50 warheads reported in 2025. A Vertic study notes that the new facility is a major step up and that there is no sign the program will slow down. “It looks like they’re just adding numbers, ” one analyst said. An expert from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told NPR that North Korea’s expansion shows no near‑term pause. The news arrives while former President Donald Trump has hinted at restarting talks with Kim Jong Un, although past meetings failed to curb nuclear activities.