"There are indications that the uranium enrichment plants at Kangson and Yongbyon continue to operate," said the IAEA chief during a meeting of the agency's Board of Governors in Vienna, Austria on Tuesday.
He also said the agency has spotted activities at Yongbyon's 5-megawatt-electric (MWe) reactor in North Pyongan Province "resumed operation in mid-October 2024, following a shutdown period of approximately 60 days. This shutdown is assessed to be of sufficient length to refuel the reactor," he said raising suspicions of "strong indicators of preparations for a new reprocessing campaign."
The latest assessment comes after its leader Kim Jong-un reportedly inspected such sites late last month, raising concerns over its growing nuclear weapons program.
"This development follows the [North's] publication in September 2024 of photographs of an undeclared enrichment facility at [Kangson, just outside of Pyongyang]. The undeclared enrichment facilities at both Kangson and Yongbyon..... are of serious concern," he added.
The North's continuous nuclear weapons development program and operations of nuclear facilities "are clear violations of relevant UN Security Council resolutions and are deeply regrettable," he added, urging Pyongyang to return to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and undergo IAEA inspections.
North Korea unilaterally pulled out of the NPT in 2003, after announcing its intention to withdraw in 1993.
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