▲ This EPA photo shows International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi speaking during a press conference in Vienna, Austria, on March 2, 2026. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

IAEA chief-NK nuclear program

IAEA chief says N. Korea continues uranium enrichment, voices 'serious concern'

SEOUL, March 3 (Yonhap) -- The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said North Korea is continuing to operate uranium enrichment facilities in Yongbyon and Kangson, calling it a "serious concern."

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi made the remarks during an introductory statement to the board of governors Monday in Vienna, Austria, saying, "The IAEA continues to monitor the nuclear program of the DPRK."

DPRK refers to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the official name of North Korea.

"The Agency has observed that the 5-megawatt reactor at Yongbyon likely continues to operate in its seventh irradiation cycle," the IAEA quoted Grossi as saying in his prepared statement.

"Operation of the Radiochemical Laboratory was observed between January and September 2025, when irradiated fuel from the sixth cycle of the 5-megawatt reactor was likely reprocessed," he said.

"The ongoing operation of enrichment facilities at Kangson and Yongbyon is of serious concern," Grossi said.

Kangson is near Pyongyang, while Yongbyon, in North Pyongan Province, hosts North Korea's major nuclear facility.

IAEA is also monitoring a new building at Yongbyon that has "power supply and cooling capability similar to the Kangson enrichment facility," Grossi noted, adding internal fitting work may be under way after external construction was completed.

"There are indications that the light water reactor at Yongbyon continues to operate after a period of shutdown between August and November 2025," he said.

North Korea currently shows no signs of "significant changes" at the nuclear test site at Punggyeri, "which remains prepared to support a nuclear test," the IAEA chief added.

Grossi called the continued development of North Korea's nuclear program "clear violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions," saying his agency "continues to maintain its enhanced readiness to play its essential role in verifying the DPRK's nuclear program."

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