North Korea Unveils Secret Weapon-Grade Uranium Facility

North Korea revealed a secretive facility for producing weapons-grade uranium, with leader Kim Jong Un expressing satisfaction and calling for increased nuclear weapons production. This is the first public disclosure of such a facility since 2010. Experts see it as an effort to pressure the U.S. and its allies.

North Korea has offered a rare look into a facility dedicated to producing weapons-grade uranium, state media reported on Friday. Leader Kim Jong Un visited the site, emphasizing a need to exponentially increase the number of nuclear weapons.

While it remains uncertain if the site is part of the famed Yongbyon nuclear complex, this disclosure marks the first since North Korea showed a uranium-enrichment facility to American scholars in 2010. The latest reveal is seen as an attempt to exert pressure on the U.S. and its allies. Images from state media could provide crucial insights into North Korea's nuclear material production capabilities.

During Kim's tour of the Nuclear Weapons Institute and the production base for weapon-grade nuclear materials, he showed great satisfaction with North Korea's technical advancements in nuclear power, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Kim stressed the importance of increasing the number of centrifuges to boost the nation's nuclear weapons arsenal, a goal he has frequently advocated in recent years.

(With inputs from agencies.)