UN agency reports North Korea is enhancing its nuclear weapons production capabilities.

A photograph taken on March 23, 2026, and released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on March 24, 2026, depicts North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivering a policy speech at the First Session of the 15th Supreme People’s Assembly at the Assembly Hall in Pyongyang.

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The image was captured and distributed by KCNA VIA KNS / AFP, with restrictions on its use, including mandatory credit to “AFP PHOTO/KCNA VIA KNS” and a prohibition on marketing or advertising campaigns.

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North Korea is exhibiting a significant escalation in its capacity to produce atomic weapons, according to the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, who made this statement during a visit to Seoul on Wednesday.

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The diplomatically isolated nation is believed to operate multiple facilities for enriching uranium, a crucial step in creating nuclear warheads, with one such facility located at the Yongbyon nuclear site, which Pyongyang purportedly decommissioned after talks but later reactivated in 2021.

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International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi confirmed that the agency has observed a rapid increase in the operations of the Yongbyon reactor during periodic assessments.

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Grossi also noted that the agency has detected a rise in operations at Yongbyon's reprocessing unit and light-water reactor, as well as the activation of other facilities, indicating a substantial increase in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's nuclear weapons production capabilities.

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These developments suggest that North Korea's nuclear weapons production capacity has expanded to include a few dozen warheads, according to Grossi's statement.

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North Korea, which conducted its first nuclear test in 2006, is currently under numerous UN sanctions for its banned weapons programs and has declared that it will never relinquish its nuclear weapons.

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In 2009, North Korea cut off access to IAEA inspectors, and since then, the agency has noted the construction of a new facility similar to the enrichment facility in Yongbyon.

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Grossi stated that it is challenging to calculate any production increases without visiting the site, but based on external features of the facility, the agency anticipates a significant increase in the enrichment capacity of the DPRK.

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The Center for Strategic and International Studies recently reported that North Korea appears to have completed a building at Yongbyon that could potentially be a new uranium enrichment plant, citing satellite imagery from April that shows generators, fuel storage tanks, and cooling units.

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When asked about potential Russian assistance in North Korea's nuclear development, Grossi replied that the IAEA has not observed anything notable in this regard.

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Grossi expressed hope that any cooperation between Russia and North Korea would be limited to civilian purposes, but noted that it is too early to make a definitive judgment on the matter.

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North Korea has provided ground troops and artillery shells to support Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and observers speculate that Pyongyang is receiving military technology assistance from Moscow in return.

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Grossi informed South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun that Pyongyang's nuclear program remains one of the IAEA's key issues, according to a statement from the ministry.

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Cho stated that Seoul is working to end hostility and confrontation with the North and to pursue peaceful coexistence and shared growth on the peninsula.

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On Wednesday, top naval commanders from South Korea, the United States, and Japan met in Seoul to hold maritime security talks aimed at deterring North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats, according to Seoul's navy.