The Ministry of Unification said Jeong Dong-young’s recent public mention of Kusong, North Korea, as a location tied to uranium enrichment was based on a broad review of publicly available material, including remarks by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency and reports by the Institute for Science and International Security.
In a reference handout distributed to reporters on Tuesday afternoon, the ministry said Jeong’s mention of “Kusong” was made while citing a keynote speech by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi on March 2, and was intended to underscore “the seriousness and urgency” of the North Korean nuclear issue. It added that Jeong made a similar point at a ministerial confirmation hearing in July last year, also referring to Kusong as a place where a uranium enrichment facility is believed to be located.
The ministry said an ISIS report identified a site near North Korea’s Panghyon Air Base—including the Janggundaesan area and the Panghyon aircraft factory—as the location of a centrifuge development facility. It said many South Korean media outlets cited that report in reporting that a uranium enrichment facility was likely in Kusong, North Pyongan province.
The ministry also said a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies described how claims have repeatedly been raised that the Kusong area is linked to uranium-related nuclear development activity.
Jeong told reporters on April 20 that Kusong was mentioned in a CSIS report, but Victor Cha, a CSIS senior official, countered that he had not written such a report. The ministry’s handout appeared aimed at clarifying the basis for Jeong’s remarks.
The CSIS report focused on Kusong as a site for high-explosives testing tied to nuclear weapons development, and it did not describe Kusong as a uranium enrichment facility, as Cha said. The ministry said, however, that Kusong was discussed as part of North Korea’s nuclear program infrastructure.
The ministry also cited a 2010 report by the U.S. Congressional Research Service that mentioned Kusong as a candidate location for a North Korean highly enriched uranium facility.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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