Seoul: Unification Minister Chung Dong-young announced that North Korea is operating a third uranium enrichment facility in Kusong, in addition to previously known sites in Yongbyon and Kangson. This revelation came during a parliamentary committee session, providing rare insights into North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Chung's statement marks the first official identification of Kusong as a site for uranium enrichment. Previously, the South Korean government had only recognized Yongbyon and Kangson as the primary locations for North Korea's uranium enrichment activities. In his address, Chung emphasized the pressing need to curb North Korea's nuclear advancements, referencing recent comments by Rafael Grossi, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief, during a board of governors meeting.

Chung reported that Grossi noted North Korea's enrichment of weapons-grade uranium at levels of 90 percent and higher at the Yongbyon, Kangson, and Kusong facilities. In contrast, Iran's uranium enrichment rate was reported at 60 percent. However, a statement from the IAEA clarified that Grossi's original remarks only mentioned Yongbyon and Kangson.

Furthermore, Chung estimated that North Korea has potentially extracted approximately 100 kilograms of plutonium over the past three decades, with 16 kilograms obtained last year alone. This quantity of plutonium could feasibly be used to produce around 20 nuclear weapons. The Yongbyon site, located north of Pyongyang, is known to house North Korea's primary nuclear complex, while Kangson is situated about 15 kilometers southwest of the capital.

In September 2024, North Korea made a public disclosure of its uranium enrichment facility for the first time without specifying its location, with the country's leader advocating for an increase in the number of centrifuges for uranium enrichment at that time.