N Korea has built two-storey uranium enrichment facility, says watchdog
Yvette Tan, BBC 9th Sept 2026
North Korea has built a new two-storey uranium enrichment facility, the head of the world’s nuclear watchdog said this week, calling it a cause for “serious concern”.
The new building is part of the main Yongbyon nuclear complex, and reportedly capable of housing up to 28 centrifuge cascades used to enrich uranium.
In a report published late last month, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Pyongyang had also begun operating an expanded annex at another enrichment site.
These findings point to a steady expansion of the North’s sancitoned nuclear infrastructure. The agency, which has no inspectors in North Korea since it was expelled in 2009, relies on satellite imagery for assessments.
“The continuation and further development of the DPRK’s [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] nuclear programme are clear violations of relevant UN Security Council resolutions and are deeply regrettable,” IAEA director Rafael Grossi said in a statement earlier this week.
The IAEA first referred to the existence of the building in June, although Grossi had mentioned the possibility earlier in the year.
In June, the agency said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a “newly inaugurated nuclear materials production factory” on 3 June, which it identified as the Yongbyon enrichment facility.
Kim had praised the country’s “greatly expanded production capacity”, adding that this would “offer the possibility of carrying out larger plans”, according to the agency’s report……………………………………………………………………..
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy0zqk2w92lo
North Korea hits out at Trump’s ‘pointless’ demands and vows to strengthen nuclear force
Trump has been seeking another summit with Kim Jong-un, following three meetings in 2018 and 2019
Kyu-seok Shim, 31 August 2026
North Korea declared on Monday that Washington’s hostile policy remains unchanged and pledged to continue strengthening its nuclear capabilities, rebuffing repeated American calls for denuclearization.
In a statement released via state media KCNA, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson accused Washington of maintaining a confrontational stance through demands for Pyongyang’s “complete denuclearisation,” criticism of its human rights record, and upcoming joint military exercises with South Korea and Japan.
“The Trump administration has thus fully reconfirmed its invariable hostile policy to wantonly violate the sovereignty, political system and security interests of the DPRK,” the spokesperson said, referring to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
The official described the country’s nuclear arsenal as “an absolute guarantee for defending its sovereignty,” adding that U.S. demands would not weaken its nuclear status………………………………………………………………………………………… https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/north-korea-trump-nuclear-force-hostile-us-policy-b3042186.html
One in three North Korean refugees from nuclear test area have mutations
By PERKIN AMALARAJ, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER, 7 August 2026, https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16036297/One-three-North-Korean-refugees-nuclear-test-area-mutations.html
One in three North Korean refugees hailing from a nuclear test area have chromosomal mutations, a new study has found.
According to research conducted by South Korea‘s unification ministry, the genes of 64 out of 214 North Korean defectors tested showed genetic changes potentially tied to radiation.
An official at the National Radiation Emergency Medical Centre, which conducted the five-year study, said it was scientifically reasonable to suspect the tests at the Punggye-ri site in the North Hamgyong province were the cause of these mutations.
The latest series of the medical tests were conducted last year, and showed that 26 out of 59 North Koreans who lived in eight cities and counties near Punggye-ri had chromosomal abnormalities – roughly 40%.
The ministry shared the new report with South Korea’s National Assembly – the country’s parliament – but cautioned that there may be environmental factors at play.
Researchers called for more tests to be run to establish a clearer link with the nuclear tests.
They are aiming to recruit 50 new participants, as well as 10 returning subjects for follow-ups, in this year’s tests.
So far, around 800 North Koreans from the eight cities and counties around Punggye-ri have resettled in South Korea.
Punggye-ri was reportedly closed down in 2018 by the North Korean government, in what it said was a measure to ‘ensure the transparency of discontinuance of nuclear tests.’
It was there that North Korea performed its first nuclear test in 2006. Researchers still aren’t sure whether a successful test on a particularly small nuclear device, or a ‘fizzle’ of an ordinary one, was carried out.
Several more were carried out over the years, with two tests taking place in 2016.
In 2017, there was a collapse at the site that was estimated to have left 200 workers dead.
South Korean officials warned after the collapse that further nuclear tests at Punggye-ri could cause a nearby mountain to crumple, releasing radioactive material into the environment.
And Chinese officials warned that the nuclear fallout could spread across ‘an entire hemisphere’ if the mountain caved in.
The dismantling of the nuclear test ground ‘completely closed the tunnel entrances’, the government’s mouthpiece KCNA reported, adding that two tunnels there had been ready for use in ‘powerful underground nuclear tests.’
And analysts observed in 2022 that the site was being rehabilitated for potential nuclear cruise missile warhead tests.
The US, South Korea and Japan said at the time that North Korea would receive an ‘overwhelming, decisive… and unparalleled’ response if testing was resumed.
North Korea vows boost to nuclear buildup, military intelligence
North Korea will strengthen its nuclear force “both in quality and
quantity” and expand the role of its military intelligence agency focused
on South Korea, state media said Friday.
Pyongyang is under widespread
sanctions over its nuclear programme, and the two Koreas remain technically
at war as their 1950-53 conflict ended without a peace treaty.
The announcement comes after North Korea has repeatedly spurned South Korean
President Lee Jae Myung’s dovish overtures, labelling Seoul its “most
hostile” enemy and declaring itself an “irreversible” nuclear state.
Daily Mail 10th July 2026,
https://www.dailymail.com/wires/afp/article-15967405/North-Korea-vows-boost-nuclear-buildup-military-intelligence.html
North Korea will never give up its nuclear weapons, says Kim Jong-un’s sister
The sister of Kim Jong-un has insisted that North Korea will never give up
its nuclear weapons, setting back hopes of progress towards
denuclearisation during Monday’s visit to Pyongyang by President Xi of
China. Kim Yo-jong, a senior figure in the leadership who sometimes serves
as spokeswoman for her brother, said North Korea’s “status as a nuclear
weapons state is the line of no retreat and it is a stark reality whether
anyone recognises it or not”.
Times 7th June 2026, https://www.thetimes.com/world/asia/article/kim-jong-un-sister-north-korea-nuclear-deal-president-xi-zs7qbkt5c
Kim Jong Un vows to build nuclear-armed navy with ‘secret underwater weapons’ as he tours warship with his daughter
Kim Jong Un has vowed to bolster North Korea‘s defences with a nuclear-powered navy and a new generation of ‘secret underwater weapons’.
The North Korean leader made the announcement on Thursday while inspecting a new warship, alongside his teenage daughter, believed to be named Jin Ju Ae, ahead of a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
State media reported Kim called for the rapid development of naval forces capable of playing a central role in the country’s nuclear deterrent. He said the navy must be able to deliver ‘a deadly blow at the enemy any moment under the water or on the water’. ………………………….
Daily Mail 6th June 2026, https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15879219/Kim-Jong-nuclear-navy-underwater-weapons-warship-daughter.html
North Korea unveils a new plant to produce fuel for nuclear weapons
Daily Mail 4th June 2026, SEOUL, South Korea (AP) –
North Korea on Thursday unveiled a new facility to produce nuclear bomb fuels, with leader Kim Jong Un announcing plans to bolster the country´s nuclear forces “at an exponential rate.”
Some experts still question whether North Korea has functioning nuclear missiles that can reach the U.S. mainland. But the nuclear plant’s disclosure implies that Kim is eager to cement his country’s status as a nuclear power and has no intentions of placing his bomb program on a negotiating table.
After visiting the site on Wednesday, Kim said he and other top officials “confirmed the order of priority for implementing the ambitious future plan designed to beef up our state´s nuclear forces at an exponential rate,” according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
KCNA said the facility used “more sophisticated technology” but didn´t provide further details like its location. South Korea´s Joint Chiefs of Staff assessed the site as a uranium enrichment plant and said it was closely coordinating with the United States to monitor North Korean nuclear activities………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Experts say Kim wants an international recognition as a nuclear state so that he could demand the lifting of U.N. economic sanctions. They say Kim would ultimately push for arms reductions talks with the U.S. as a way to win concessions in return for a partial surrender of his nuclear capability……………………………………………………… https://www.dailymail.com/wires/ap/article-15872477/North-Korea-unveils-nuclear-plant.html
Nuclear weapons may be the sane choice for the world’s maddest regime
For North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, the lesson from Iran shows that if your
goal is survival the more dangerous the arsenal the better.
Times 19th April 2026, https://www.thetimes.com/world/asia/article/kim-north-korea-nuclear-trump-iran-6s7gjkqns
It’s time to stop talking about the “denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula” and instead focus on halting U.S. militarism in the region.
Washington needs North Korea’s alleged threat to justify its military buildup in Northeast Asia.
From the standpoint of the U.S. (and Japan), can there be a more effective pretext than propping up North Korea’s threat?
Washington needs North Korea’s alleged “threat” to justify its military buildup in Northeast Asia. 워싱턴은 동북아에서의 군사력 증강을 정당화하기 위해 북한의 ‘위협’을 필요로 한다.
Korea Update, Jan 16, 2026, https://koreaupdate.substack.com/p/its-time-to-stop-talking-about-the?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=6214632&post_id=184718135&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=false&r=nm4gn&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
My quick daily commentary: Japan’s insistence on North Korea’s “denuclearization” and the South Korean government’s push for the “denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
In his recent discussion, John Mearsheimer, Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, explained the role nuclear weapons play in fending off U.S. threats to national sovereignty.
Mearsheimer reiterates that the U.S. does not approach North Korea as it does other countries, such as Iran—obviously because of North Korea’s nuclear deterrent. He emphasizes that the United States no longer “plays games” with North Korea, meaning overt threats of invasion, because “they have nuclear weapons.”
“…they [Iranians] were foolish not to have nuclear weapons a long time ago… You don’t play these games in North Korea. Don’t play these games in North Korea because they have nuclear weapons.”
At the 2023 Korea International Forum in Seoul, Mearsheimer noted that North Korea’s primary concern is survival against the U.S., and that the most rational step is to maintain an ultimate deterrent: nuclear weapons.
Indeed, many argue that Washington may have no choice but to recognize North Korea as a nuclear power and negotiate.
U.S. President Donald Trump refers to North Korea as a nuclear power, and some analysts argue that the U.S. should formally recognize North Korea as a nuclear-armed state and enter into nuclear arms reduction negotiations.
The U.S. 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS), released on December 5, 2025, made no mention of North Korea at all, let alone its denuclearization.
North Korea—the only country in the world to constitutionally guarantee nuclear weapons, underscoring the importance it places on its arsenal as a survival tool against the U.S.—argues that it has focused on nuclear development to protect its citizens and safeguard sovereignty, even under U.S. threats and national disasters like the “Arduous March.” On November 29, 2017, Pyongyang declared the completion of its nuclear forces. On September 21, 2025, the 14th Supreme People’s Assembly passed the “State Nuclear Force Policy,” formally enshrining nuclear possession in the constitution. In a Supreme People’s Assembly speech, Kim Jong-un stated:
“Let me make it clear: ‘denuclearization’ can never, ever happen for us. Even if the U.S. and its allies chant for 10, 20, 50, or 100 years, the fact that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea possesses nuclear weapons will remain unchanged, whether they like it or not.”
There is also a caveat. Some claim that historically, the U.S. has used every possible measure to prevent North Korea’s nuclear development, including threats of war, large-scale military exercises, sanctions, and diplomatic pressure on Russia and China to isolate Pyongyang. Despite these efforts, North Korea’s nuclear capabilities have continued to strengthen.
In my view, this claim is flawed. The United States has had ample time and opportunity to strike a deal with North Korea, yet it has not done so.
The reason is that the ongoing perception of North Korea as a threat—both conventional and nuclear—serves Washington’s geopolitical interests. In other words, it’s not primarily about North Korea—it’s about a bigger strategic target: China and Russia.
Washington needs North Korea’s alleged threat to justify its military buildup in Northeast Asia.
From the standpoint of the U.S. (and Japan), can there be a more effective pretext than propping up North Korea’s threat?
If North Korea did not exist as a threat, Washington would likely have invented another North Korea–style justification.
The irony is that North Korea now has the capability to strike the U.S. The U.S. 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS), which made no mention of North Korea at all—let alone its denuclearization—underscores Washington’s lack of a strategy for a nuclear-armed North Korea that has threatened “nuclear strikes on the U.S. mainland.”
The bottom line: The Lee Jae Myung administration should stop talking about denuclearization—its’ waste of time. Instead, it instead focus on reducing Washington’s militarism. Specifically, it should push to end U.S.-led joint military exercises with South Korea and Japan. That would be the first and most sensible step.
“Condemning US imperialism for its illegal invasion and violation of sovereignty”
Over the weekend, 56 groups across the country marched to condemn the United States and to demonstrate solidarity with Venezuela, Palestine, and anti-imperialists…
North Korea News, Reporter Lee Seung-hyun , 2026.01.10
Actions condemning the US’s illegal invasion of Venezuela continued across the country over the weekend.
Fifty-six civic groups, including the Joint Action to Stop Trump Threats (preliminary), the National People’s Action, and the Independent Unification and Peace Solidarity, held a “Citizens’ March Condemning the US for Illegal Invasion and Sovereignty Violation” in front of KT in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 10th. The march continued through the city center, through Jongno, Gwanghwamun, and finally to the US Embassy.
Citizens who gathered in front of KT in Gwanghwamun, braving the bad weather of heavy snow, cold waves, and strong winds, chanted in one voice: △ Condemn Trump, a war criminal who aims to plunder resources and change the regime; △ Immediately release President Maduro, who has been illegally kidnapped; △ Stop the tyranny and war of aggression of US imperialism.
Yang Kyung-soo, chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, said, “The tariff war waged by the United States against the world last year shows that the economic order that guaranteed the limitless greed of capital through neoliberalism is over, and that the history of the United States, which boasted sole global hegemony based on neoliberalism and powerful military power, and that the hegemony of the United States are also coming to an end,” adding, “The same goes for the US’s acts of aggression in Venezuela.”
He also mentioned that President Trump signed a proclamation on the 7th (local time) withdrawing from 66 international organizations, including 31 UN agencies and 35 non-UN agencies, and said, “This means that the United States, which is leaving behind both the universal value of responding to the climate crisis and the value of human rights, which are common values for all of humanity, can no longer lead the world order.” He emphasized, “We must stand together with the people of the world who oppose war and the United States, and with the people who love peace, to create a new world where peace, equality, and independence are guaranteed.”
Lee Eun-jung, standing representative of the National Women’s Solidarity, fiercely criticized, “The wars and military interventions the United States has waged in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria over the past several decades were organized violence by an imperialist state to protect its oil and resource hegemony.” She also strongly criticized, “The United States’ invasion of Venezuela and the arrest of President Maduro and his wife are also clear violations of sovereignty, theft of resources, and a declaration of colonial rule.”
However, times have changed, and the people of the world will not accept the war that the United States wages for its own interests and greed as its destiny, and will never be isolated, he said, raising his voice, saying, “The awakened people of the world will fight together against the imperialist United States that carries out barbaric and illegal invasions and violations of sovereignty
Pastor Hong Deok-jin of the National Council of Clergy Justice and Peace said, “The airstrike on Caracas, Venezuela and the forcible repatriation of the national leader by the Trump administration in the United States on January 3rd is not a simple military action, but an act of neo-imperialism that tramples on the sovereignty of a country and shakes the foundations of international law, and a direct challenge to peace-loving people around the world.” He demanded, “The United States must cease all military operations and withdraw its troops immediately.”
He also emphasized that “the international community must not tolerate U.S. violence,” and that “we must reject Pax Americana, which is dominated by the logic of great power, and we must mobilize all international means to stand in solidarity so that only the self-determination of the Venezuelan people can determine the future of their land.”
He urged the South Korean government to declare its principle of opposing war of aggression rather than worrying about what the United States thinks.
Palestine Peace Solidarity activist Hana said that although Palestine, Venezuela, and Korea are geographically distant, they are closely linked in the criminal plans of the United States and imperialism, and emphasized that “the struggles of the Venezuelan and Palestinian people, who are at the forefront of the fight against imperialism, should also be at the center of the anti-imperialist movement in Korea.”
He pointed out that the US’s support of Israel as a proxy agent in the Middle East to control oil flow and prices is similar to the imperialist greed to maintain hegemony by dominating resources.
He pointed out that since October 2023, Israel has indiscriminately killed at least 72,000 Palestinians by pouring more bombs into the Gaza Strip, an area half the size of Seoul, than the bombs dropped during World War II. He also pointed out that the US has vetoed eight UN resolutions demanding an end to genocide and has provided hundreds of billions of dollars in military aid, making them the main culprits of genocide.
In addition, the government urged Dana Petroleum, which is 100% owned by Korea National Oil Corporation, to stop its complicity in colonial plunder, saying that it is conducting gas exploration activities in the western part of the Leviathan gas field near the Gaza Strip by paying a license fee of 20.4 billion won to the Israeli government.
Citizens’ actions condemning the US war of aggression were also held in Busan (Busan Station Plaza), Daegu and Gyeongbuk (in front of CGV Daegu Hanil), Daejeon (in front of Ian Kyungwon on Euneungjeong Street), and Jeju (in front of the Jeju City Hall Civil Affairs Office) that afternoon.
North Korea says Seoul-US submarine deal will trigger ‘nuclear domino’ effect
Daily Mail. By AFP, 18 November 2025
North Korea denounced an agreement between Seoul and Washington to build nuclear-powered submarines, saying in a state media commentary on Tuesday that the deal would cause a “nuclear domino” effect.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung announced the finalisation of a long-awaited security and trade agreement with the United States last week, including plans to move forward with developing atomic-powered vessels.
Seoul said it had secured “support for expanding our authority over uranium enrichment and spent-fuel reprocessing”.
In its first comments responding to the deal, the nuclear-armed North fired back that the submarine programme was a “dangerous attempt at confrontation”.
The agreement is a “serious development that destabilises the military security situation in the Asia-Pacific region beyond the Korean peninsula and causes the situation of impossible nuclear control in the global sphere,” said the commentary carried by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Tuesday.
South Korea’s possession of nuclear submarines “is bound to cause a ‘nuclear domino phenomenon’ in the region and spark a hot arms race”, Pyongyang added. It also said “the DPRK (North Korea) will take more justified and realistic countermeasures,” due to the two countries’ “confrontational intention”.
North Korea’s state media said in October that it had fired the ninth and final test of a ballistic engine, indicating that a full launch of a new ICBM could be conducted in coming months.
The commentary comes just a day after Seoul proposed military talks with Pyongyang to prevent border clashes, the first such offer in seven years.
President Lee has also offered to hold broader discussions with the North without preconditions, a sharp reversal from the hawkish stance taken by his conservative predecessor…………………..
North Korea’s comments show concerns from the nuclear-armed state that if South Korea acquires nuclear-powered submarines, “it could become a stepping stone to the country achieving a semi-nuclear-weapon-state status”, Yang Moo- jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP.
“The move is likely to negatively affect the prospects for holding inter-Korean military talks,” added Yang.
North Korea has yet to respond to Lee’s overtures.
Beijing also voiced caution over the Washington-Seoul deal on nuclear submarine technology on Thursday.
The partnership “goes beyond a purely commercial partnership, directly touching on the global non-proliferation regime and the stability of the Korean Peninsula and the wider region”, Dai Bing, China’s ambassador to Seoul, told reporters last week. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-15300649/North-Korea-says-Seoul-US-sub-deal-trigger-nuclear-domino-effect.html
How North Korea outsmarts US intelligence agencies—and what they should do to adapt
Bulletin, By Lauren Cho | October 27, 2025
In the summer of 2017, the United States learned a humbling lesson. For years, American intelligence agencies had assessed that North Korea would need several more years—until 2020 or even 2022—before it could field a missile capable of striking the continental United States. Then, on July 4, Pyongyang launched an intercontinental ballistic missile that reached deep space and re-entered at high velocity.
By that September, North Korea had detonated a hydrogen bomb more than 15 times stronger than the weapon that destroyed Hiroshima. The Central Intelligence Agency and its sister agencies had anticipated that this day would eventually come. But their inability to predict the rapid pace of advancement remains one of the starkest intelligence failures of recent decades. It was not simply a matter of bad luck or faulty technical analysis. It was the result of two forces that intersect again and again in the history of US assessments of North Korea’s nuclear program: Pyongyang’s deliberate use of strategic deception, and the institutional inertia of the US intelligence community.
From the first suspicions of a clandestine weapons program in the 1980s through the collapse of the 1994 Agreed Framework, the inconclusive Six-Party Talks, and the dramatic summits of 2018–2019, a familiar cycle has emerged: Washington enters negotiations determined to halt or roll back North Korea’s program. North Korea agrees on paper but continues developing weapons in secret, denying violations and then unveiling new capabilities with a missile test or nuclear detonation. The agreement collapses, and Washington returns to the negotiating table with hopes of restoring momentum toward denuclearization.
Each turn of this cycle reveals a recurring blind spot. American analysts focus on observable indicators and static assumptions, while North Korea manipulates visual evidence and creates ambiguity to gain time.
Defining intelligence. To the public and political leaders, any unpleasant surprise is an intelligence failure. Scholars define it more precisely. Richard K. Betts, an American political scientist who is one of the leading thinkers on this issue, has argued that failures are not rare anomalies but inevitable outcomes of systemic, cognitive, and organizational barriers. Intelligence agencies must operate under conditions of uncertainty and ambiguous evidence. The greater the ambiguity, the greater the influence of preexisting beliefs.
In the case of North Korea, ambiguity is not simply an accident involving limited information. It is a condition carefully constructed by the regime.
Strategic deception—deliberate manipulation of information to influence an adversary’s perceptions—has become a central component of North Korea’s nuclear armament strategy. American intelligence agencies have repeatedly struggled to adapt to this strategy, because they are weighed down by bureaucratic norms that prize continuity over change and reactivity over anticipation.
Strategic deception is most effective when the target already wants to believe a certain narrative……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Rethinking US intelligence on North Korea. What, then, is to be done? Absolute accuracy in intelligence is unattainable, but incremental improvement is possible. The patterns seen in previous US-North Korean relations suggest several possible reforms. First, intelligence organizations must build for adaptability, not stability. They must prioritize agility, encourage analysts to test assumptions, reward dissenting perspectives, and treat ambiguity as a strategic variable. Rather than forcing ambiguous evidence into existing frameworks, agencies must recognize that adversaries actively manipulate ambiguity.
Also, analysts need more than satellite imagery and signals intercepts. They need linguistic, cultural, and psychological expertise to decode the narratives that adversaries craft. Deception is a cognitive process, not just a technical one. Countering it requires cognitive tools. Intelligence that is accurate but ignored is still a failure.
Finally, agencies must improve communication with policy makers, making uncertainty clear and resisting the urge to present false precision. The goal is not to eliminate ambiguity but to help decision makers understand it and prepare for multiple scenarios……………………………. https://thebulletin.org/2025/10/how-north-korea-outsmarts-us-intelligence-agencies-and-what-they-should-do-to-adapt/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=How%20North%20Korea%20outsmarts%20US%20intelligence&utm_campaign=20251024%20Monday%20Newsletter%20%28Copy%29
Peace Without Denuclearisation? Kim Challenges U.S. To Rethink Nuclear Stance
Oyeronke Oyerinde, 5 Oct 25, The Organisation for World Peace
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un has declared that he is open to dialogue with Washington if the United States drops its demand for denuclearisation, which he previously stated he would never accept. During a recent speech at the Supreme People’s Assembly, Kim insisted that his country’s nuclear arsenal is essential for survival, calling recent proposals from the U.S. and South Korea “disingenuous” attempts to weaken his regime. Yet, striking a different note, he also expressed “fond memories” of U.S. President Donald Trump, with whom he held three unprecedented summits. Kim’s statements mark his first direct reference to Trump since the start of Trump’s second presidency in January, raising speculation that Pyongyang sees him as the only credible partner for renewed talks. Rachel Minyoung Lee, an analyst at the Stimson Center, described Kim’s comments as “an invitation to Trump to rethink U.S. policy on denuclearisation.”……………………………………………………………………………
Despite sharp rhetoric, Kim notably did not renounce the 2018 Singapore Declaration, which laid out goals for peacebuilding, new U.S.-North Korea relations, and eventual denuclearisation. This suggests that space for dialogue still exists, though only if both sides are willing to temper their demands. For the U.S., this could mean considering interim steps such as freezes or arms-control-style agreements, as part of a broader peace framework.
The alternative is an escalating arms race on the peninsula. South Korea warns that North Korea is close to developing a missile capable of striking the continental U.S. with a nuclear warhead, a milestone that could trigger further militarisation and raise the risk of miscalculation. Meanwhile, sanctions continue to exact a toll on ordinary North Koreans, worsening food shortages and isolating a population already cut off from much of the world.
The path to peace and security in Northeast Asia cannot rest on ultimatums that no side will accept. Peace is dependent on creative diplomacy: freezing nuclear development, reducing military exercises, opening humanitarian channels, and fostering trust through incremental agreements. Kim’s statement is a challenge, but also an opportunity. If the U.S. and its allies can move from absolutist positions towards pragmatic steps, dialogue could resume. The Korean peninsula has suffered too long under the shadow of war, and what is needed now is not maximalist posturing but the courage to take its first, fragile steps toward peace. https://theowp.org/peace-without-denuclearisation-kim-challenges-u-s-to-rethink-nuclear-stance/
North Korea building nuclear weapon stockpile, says Seoul
North Korea is believed to have accumulated large quantities of
weapons-grade uranium, according to South Korea. Seoul’s Unification
Minister Chung Dong-young on Thursday cited an assessment that Pyongyang
possesses 2,000kg (about 4,400 pounds) of highly enriched uranium “at a
purity of 90 percent or higher”. If confirmed, the amount would also
signal a sharp increase in North Korea’s stockpile of nuclear material.
Intelligence provided by civilian experts reveals that North Korea is
operating four enrichment plants, he added.
Aljazeera 25th Sept 2025, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/25/north-korea-building-nuclear-weapon-stockpile-says-seoul
North Korea has ‘undeclared’ ICBM base near China border, according to new report.
ABC News, 23 Aug 25
In short:
A missile base near North Korea’s border with China poses a nuclear threat to Australia, East Asia and the US, a new report and an expert say.
There are likely up to nine nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles and launchers at the secret site.
A retired South Korean Army Lieutenant General says it is a “world problem”.
North Korea has built a secret military base near its border with China which may house Pyongyang’s newest long-range ballistic missiles, according to new research.
The Sinpung-dong Missile Operating Base lies about 27 kilometres from the Chinese frontier, the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said in a report published on Wednesday.
The facility in North Pyongan Province likely houses six to nine nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and their launchers, the study said.
It said the weapons “pose a potential nuclear threat to East Asia and the continental United States”.
North Korea has ramped up its nuclear weapons programme since a failed summit with the US in 2019, and leader Kim Jong Un recently called for the “rapid expansion” of the diplomatically isolated nation’s nuclear capability.
The report — which CSIS called the first in-depth, open-source confirmation of Sinpung-dong — says the base is one of about “15-20 ballistic missile bases, maintenance, support, missile storage, and warhead storage facilities which North Korea has never declared”.
The facility is “not known to have been the subject of any denuclearisation negotiations previously conducted between the United States and North Korea”, the study said.
Citing their analysts’ current assessments, CSIS said the launchers and missiles could leave the base in times of crisis or war, link up with special units and conduct harder-to-detect launches from other parts of the country.
The base, along with others, “represent the primary components of what is presumed to be North Korea’s evolving ballistic missile strategy, and its expanding strategic-level nuclear deterrence and strike capabilities”, the report said.
Site built near China to deter attacks
In-Bum Chun, a retired South Korean Army Lieutenant General, told ABC’s Radio National that North Korea believed it could scare the US out of its alliance with South Korea by building these kind of missile bases…………………………………………….https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-22/north-korea-secret-missile-base/105684760
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