North Korea may possess up to two tons of highly enriched uranium - this was stated by South Korean Unification Minister Chun Dong-yeon, quoted by Agence France-Presse, reports News.bg.
It has long been known that the country has "significant" quantities of this material, which is essential for the production of nuclear warheads, according to the South Korean Ministry of Defense. In a rare public confirmation, Chun specified that intelligence services estimate Pyongyang's stockpile with a purity of over 90% at up to 2,000 kilograms.
According to him, North Korean centrifuges are operating at four different sites. The minister noted that "only five to six kilograms of plutonium are enough to build a single nuclear bomb," and with 2,000 kilograms of highly enriched uranium, the potential for creating a large number of weapons is significant.
Chun stressed that "stopping North Korea's nuclear development is an urgent matter," and according to him, sanctions will not work, and a real solution can only be sought through a summit between Washington and Pyongyang.
At the same time, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said this week that he was ready for talks with the United States, but only on condition that his country preserves its nuclear arsenal.
North Korea conducted its first nuclear test in 2006 and has since been subject to numerous UN sanctions over its banned weapons programs. It was only in September last year that Pyongyang publicly revealed details of its uranium enrichment facilities. The country is believed to operate several such sites, including at the Yongbyon complex, which was officially suspended after negotiations but was reactivated in 2021.