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North Korea is believed to have amassed a large stockpile of weapons-grade uranium, with assessments suggesting Pyongyang could possess enough material for dozens of nuclear bombs, Al Jazeera reported.
South Korea's Unification Minister Chung Dong-young on Thursday said an assessment indicated that North Korea holds "2,000kg (about 4,400 pounds) of highly enriched uranium at a purity of 90 per cent or higher." According to Al Jazeera, such a quantity would mark a significant increase in the country's nuclear material reserves. Chung noted that intelligence from civilian experts showed Pyongyang was operating multiple enrichment plants. "Even at this very hour, North Korea's uranium centrifuges are operating at four sites," he told reporters, mentioning only the known site of Yongbyon, which North Korea had earlier decommissioned after talks but reactivated in 2021. Foreign analysts believe Pyongyang has built additional enrichment facilities as leader Kim Jong Un pushes forward with expanding the nuclear arsenal. South Korea's defence ministry has long maintained that the North possesses a "significant" amount of highly enriched uranium, which forms the core material for nuclear warheads, Al Jazeera reported. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimates that 42kg of highly enriched uranium is required for one nuclear weapon. Based on that measure, 2,000kg would be sufficient for roughly 47 nuclear bombs, Al Jazeera noted. Chung stressed the urgency of halting Pyongyang's programme. "Stopping North Korea's nuclear development is an urgent matter," he said, while also arguing that sanctions would not be effective and "the only solution lies in a summit between Pyongyang and Washington." Diplomacy has been stalled since 2019, when high-level talks between Kim and US President Donald Trump ended without a deal. Recently, Kim stated he was willing to engage in dialogue with Washington but only if the demand to surrender nuclear weapons was dropped. North Korea, which carried out its first nuclear test in 2006 and remains under heavy United Nations sanctions, has never publicly revealed details of its enrichment plants. South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung, who assumed office in June, has pledged a more conciliatory stance compared to his predecessor, Yoon Suk-yeol. Lee has ruled out seeking regime change in the North, Al Jazeera reported. Chung argued that the previous administration's approach had inadvertently helped Pyongyang strengthen its nuclear capabilities. By designating North Korea as the "main enemy" and demanding denuclearisation first, he said, the earlier policy allowed its nuclear programme "to expand without limit." (ANI)
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