Yŏngbyŏn

nuclear reactor, North Korea

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Last updated

July 16, 2026

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The Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center is North Korea's primary nuclear complex, located about 60 miles north of Pyongyang. It is the center of the country's plutonium production efforts and includes facilities for fuel fabrication, a research reactor, and a uranium enrichment plant.1

North Korea's nuclear ambitions began during the Cold War with assistance from the Soviet Union. In 1994, the Agreed Framework was established, where North Korea agreed to suspend its nuclear program in exchange for energy aid and the construction of light-water reactors. However, this agreement effectively ended in 2003 when North Korea admitted to pursuing uranium-based weapons and withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.234

Since then, North Korea has conducted multiple underground nuclear tests, with its first in 2006 and a more powerful one in 2009. The country has developed a growing arsenal of nuclear devices and sophisticated ballistic missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).542

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Agreed Framework
…from its nuclear facility at Yŏngbyŏn into enough plutonium to manufacture four or five nuclear weapons. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the organization charged with enforcing the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), urged the UN Security Council to impose strict
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…from its nuclear facility at Yŏngbyŏn into enough plutonium to manufacture four or five nuclear weapons. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the organization charged with enforcing the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), urged the UN Security Council to impose strict
Read More

nuclear weapon
North Korea
…Korea’s nuclear program is at Yŏngbyŏn, about 100 km (60 miles) north of the capital of Pyongyang. Its major facilities include a reactor that became operational in 1986, a reprocessing plant, and a fuel fabrication plant. The 5-megawatt reactor is capable of producing about 6 kg (13 pounds) of plutonium…
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…Korea’s nuclear program is at Yŏngbyŏn, about 100 km (60 miles) north of the capital of Pyongyang. Its major facilities include a reactor that became operational in 1986, a reprocessing plant, and a fuel fabrication plant. The 5-megawatt reactor is capable of producing about 6 kg (13 pounds) of plutonium…
Read More