Koreas Tensions
FILE - In this photo provided by the North Korean government, its leader Kim Jong Un delivers a speech during a session of the Supreme People's Assembly at parliament in Pyongyang, North Korea, on March 23, 2026. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified.
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North Korea says leader Kim Jong Un has visited a new facility to produce nuclear materials and announced plans to bolster the country’s nuclear forces “at an exponential rate." The official Korean Central News Agency said Thursday that Kim visited the facility Wednesday to learn about its operations. KCNA didn't say where the site is located and when it began operation. But state media photos on the place showed it is likely a plant to produce weapons-grade uranium. Its disclosure is in line with Kim’s repeated vows to expand his nuclear weapons program to cope with what he called U.S. military threats.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping will travel to North Korea next week in what will be his first visit in years. His trip will the latest in a series of steps by China to reinforce its close ties with its nuclear-armed neighbor, whose leader Kim Jong Un has reached out to Russia in recent years, notably by sending troops and conventional weapons to support its war against Ukraine. The announcement was made by both countries Friday a day after North Korea unveiled a new facility to produce nuclear fuel. Experts say the plant’s disclosure implies that Kim is eager to cement his country’s status as a nuclear weapons state ahead of Xi’s visit.
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