"North Korea Operating Pyeongsan Uranium Plant Even After Halting Nuclear Tests Since 2017"

CSIS "Future North Korea-US Denuclearization Agreement Must Include 'Pyeongsan Uranium Plant Dismantlement'"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] It has been reported that North Korea has continued to operate the Pyeongsan uranium plant, a source of uranium enrichment material, even after halting nuclear tests in 2017.

On the 29th (local time), the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in the United States revealed this through an analysis of commercial satellite images taken in March of the Pyeongsan uranium refining plant area, published on the North Korea-specialized site "Beyond Parallel." The report was authored by Victor Cha, CSIS Korea Chair, and researcher Joseph Bermudez.

CSIS stated, "this facility is the only known source of uranium hexafluoride (UF6) used for producing highly enriched uranium for North Korea's advanced nuclear weapons program," adding, "considering the current level of development and activity observed at the plant and related facilities, it is highly likely that operations will continue in the near future."

The Pyeongsan uranium plant is located 45 km from the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Since the mid-1990s, it has been the only known uranium ore production facility in North Korea and is considered a critical element in North Korea's nuclear research and weapons development programs, according to CSIS.

CSIS emphasized, "Although it is unclear whether this topic was raised during the Hanoi summit in February last year, the dismantling of the Pyeongsan uranium refining plant must become an essential element in any future 'complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization' (CVID) agreement between North Korea and the United States."