Pyongyang appears to be modernizing its Yongbyon nuclear complex, according to 38 North
Published: 23 Nov. 2025, 19:04
![Satellite imagery taken on Nov. 13 shows six heat exchangers installed around a blue-roofed building believed to house uranium enrichment equipment at North Korea’s nuclear complex in Yongbyon, North Pyongan Province. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/11/23/84f8da00-4eb0-4254-9f6a-1fb9a096c8c0.jpg)
Satellite imagery taken on Nov. 13 shows six heat exchangers installed around a blue-roofed building believed to house uranium enrichment equipment at North Korea’s nuclear complex in Yongbyon, North Pyongan Province. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
North Korea appears to be modernizing its nuclear complex in Yongbyon, North Pyongan Province, according to a report published on Friday by 38 North, a U.S.-based website specializing in North Korean affairs.
38 North cited satellite imagery taken on Nov. 13, which shows ongoing construction near a building believed to house uranium enrichment equipment. The photos reveal six cylindrical devices resembling heat exchangers installed on the roof of a building completed in May. Heat exchangers are typically used to cool centrifuges and regulate internal temperatures.
Imagery from Oct. 22 also captures newly built structures adjacent to the main building, including a small auxiliary facility and what appears to be a vehicle garage. Analysts said the suspected uranium enrichment site — northeast of the radiochemical laboratory — is the most active it has been since the start of 2025.
“Work on a semiburied radioactive waste storage facility continues near the Old Waste Site,” 38 North wrote. “Imagery from June 11 [reveals] the construction of a concrete building measuring approximately 20 by 12 meters [65 feet by 39 feet], with nine hatches on its top, similar to those of other waste sites.
“An expansion of waste storage capacity is in line with Kim Jong-un’s directive to increase nuclear material production.”
During a visit to nuclear research facilities in January, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un defined 2025 as a “crucial year” for “bolstering [...] nuclear forces” and emphasized the need for “overfulfilling the plan to produce weapons-grade nuclear materials.”
38 North added that it had not observed any visible changes to the exterior of the experimental light water reactor, which was completed in 2023. But thermal patterns captured in the Nov. 13 imagery suggest cooling water discharge, a sign that the reactor may be undergoing preoperational testing.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also noted signs of expansion in a report published in August. Based on satellite imagery and related intelligence, the agency concluded that North Korea began constructing a new facility in Yongbyon in December 2024 and completed external work by May of this year.
The IAEA said the new structure resembles North Korea’s uranium enrichment facility in Kangson, near Pyongyang, and warned that the regime may be increasing its enrichment activities.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIM SEOK-YONG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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