North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister Kim Yo Jong has accused the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of double standards after the UN nuclear watchdog adopted a resolution criticising nuclear weapons programme of North Korea.
Kim Yo Jong, a senior North Korean official, said the IAEA’s “biased viewpoint and double standards” were contributing to the weakening of the global nuclear non-proliferation system, state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Saturday.
She criticised the agency for allegedly overlooking what Pyongyang described as nuclear proliferation activities by the United States and South Korea, while adopting a resolution against North Korea’s nuclear programme.
On August 28, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported to its Board of Governors that North Korea was constructing a second uranium enrichment facility at the Yongbyon nuclear complex. The facility, located in a newly built two-storey structure, could accommodate up to 28 centrifuge cascades. The agency also reported an expanded annex at the Kangson uranium enrichment site. The IAEA identified the Yongbyon facility by comparing satellite images taken during its construction with photographs released by North Korean state media showing Kim Jong Un visiting the site in June 2026, when centrifuges and cascades similar to those at known enrichment facilities were visible.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told the Board that the continued operation of the Kangson and Yongbyon facilities, along with the reported expansion of North Korea’s production of weapons-grade nuclear material, was “a cause for serious concern.” The agency has not had inspectors inside North Korea since 2009 and now relies on commercial satellite imagery and open-source information, including photographs and reports published by North Korean state media, to monitor the country’s nuclear activities.
In a separate statement, North Korea’s foreign ministry rejected the IAEA resolution and said the country’s status as a nuclear power was irreversible.
The ministry said North Korea’s nuclear deterrent would continue to support its status as a nuclear-armed state, according to KCNA.
The statements came as North Korea continued efforts to strengthen and modernise its military capabilities.
KCNA reported that Kim Jong Un conducted a three-day inspection tour of major munitions factories during the week. During the visits, Kim said efforts to modernise the country’s defence capabilities were producing significant changes in the structure and operational means of its armed forces.
North Korea has expanded its military cooperation with Russia since the two countries signed a mutual defence treaty in 2024.
Analysts have said the cooperation has provided Pyongyang with military and technological assistance. They have also pointed to combat experience gained by North Korean troops deployed in support of Russia’s war in Ukraine as a factor in the country’s military development.
Kim also addressed a training session for propaganda workers in Pyongyang on Friday, KCNA reported.
He called for modern ideological warfare to become more innovative, creative and aggressive, while urging propaganda officials to move away from repeatedly using traditional methods.
The latest statements underline Pyongyang’s continued commitment to maintaining its nuclear arsenal despite international criticism and efforts to curb the country’s nuclear weapons programme.
IAEA Report on North Korea Nuclear Program
The evidence gathered by independent monitors throughout 2026 broadly supports the IAEA’s assessment. Analysts monitoring Yongbyon have reported near-continuous water discharge from the 5-megawatt-electric (MWe) reactor, North Korea’s original plutonium-producing reactor. The activity is consistent with the reactor undergoing what is believed to be its seventh irradiation cycle since October 2024. Periodic steam activity at the Radiochemical Laboratory has also indicated possible reprocessing operations. A separate review by Daily NK reached similar conclusions, reporting renewed discharge activity from the Experimental Light Water Reactor (ELWR) following a period of shutdown. The old, unfinished 50 MWe reactor at Yongbyon is also being demolished as new construction continues elsewhere at the complex.
A 38 North review of activity in 2025 linked the developments to Kim Jong Un’s stated goal of strengthening North Korea’s nuclear forces. Satellite imagery showed the 5 MWe reactor operating steadily from January 2025, while the ELWR underwent what appeared to be pre-operational testing. The analysis also identified signs of a possible reprocessing campaign during the summer, along with construction of new buildings believed to be linked to uranium enrichment and waste storage.
North Korea’s known and suspected uranium enrichment infrastructure now includes facilities at Yongbyon and Kangson, outside Pyongyang. The Yongbyon complex contains the country’s original enrichment plant as well as the newly identified facility, while an expanded annex at Kangson appears to have become operational around January 2026. Since clandestine centrifuge facilities can be difficult to detect, nonproliferation researchers have increasingly examined North Korea’s uranium supply to estimate the potential scale of its enrichment programme. A 2021 satellite-based study of land use around the Pyongsan uranium mill found that the country could potentially produce considerably more milled uranium than it is currently believed to enrich, suggesting uranium supply may not be the main limitation on future expansion.
North Korea’s plutonium production chain, meanwhile, relies on a smaller number of known facilities. It begins at the Pyongsan Uranium Concentrate Plant, about 45 kilometres from the Demilitarised Zone, which is the country’s only confirmed source of yellowcake. Uranium ore is processed there into an oxide concentrate before being transported to Yongbyon and converted into reactor fuel. The fuel is then used in the 5 MWe reactor, while its spent fuel is reprocessed at Yongbyon’s Radiochemical Laboratory to extract weapons-grade plutonium. Outside experts believe the facility has produced North Korea’s plutonium stockpile, which is estimated to be sufficient for dozens of nuclear warheads.
What North Korea is Aiming For?
Open-source assessments of North Korea’s nuclear programme in 2026 point to three major developments. First, the country appears to be maintaining a steady plutonium production cycle at its original 5 MWe reactor. Second, the Experimental Light Water Reactor has shown intermittent activity, which could provide an additional source of plutonium if operations become stable. Third, North Korea’s uranium enrichment infrastructure has expanded significantly at Yongbyon while continuing to grow at the Kangson site.
North Korea’s limited activity at the Taechon project is also notable. Rather than completing or reviving the older facility, Pyongyang appears to be focusing on building new nuclear capacity. This suggests that expanding newer infrastructure may have become a more practical approach than returning to older designs.