North Korea shows pictures of suspected uranium enrichment plant

The photos have been released for publication by the North Korean regime – and are intended to send a message to the world: Look, we can do it!

The pictures are supposed to show ruler Kim Jong Un inspecting an enrichment plant for weapons-grade uranium. Whether this is actually a production facility cannot be proven. Neither the exact location of the pictures nor the time when they were taken are known.

North Korea wants to increase the number of nuclear weapons

The “news agency” KCNA, the central propaganda tool of the internationally isolated country, leaves no doubt that Kim is extremely pleased with the achievement. He stressed that his country must “exponentially increase the production of nuclear weapons for self-defense” and has set out a plan to increase production. It is the first time that the country has provided alleged insights into its uranium enrichment capabilities in this form.

In 2006, the country conducted its first nuclear weapons test – and continues its nuclear program despite international sanctions and a ban by several UN resolutions. According to Western findings, it is supported by Russia and China. The regime repeatedly spreads the narrative that it is threatened by “hostile” forces with nuclear weapons. There is no evidence for this.

It is not officially known how many nuclear warheads the North Korean military has. The Stockholm Peace Institute Sipri estimates that there are around 50.

The publication of the photos from the alleged centrifuge plant is part of the saber-rattling in the conflict with neighboring South Korea that has been simmering for decades. Recently, tensions on the Korean peninsula have increased significantly – and sometimes take on strange excesses.