State media reported that Kim visited the newly unveiled facility on Wednesday, where he reviewed operations and long-term production plans. Photos released by the Korean Central News Agency showed what appeared to be a centrifuge hall used for enriching uranium, a key component in nuclear weapons.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff assessed the site as a uranium enrichment facility and said Seoul was closely coordinating with the United States to monitor North Korean nuclear activities.

Kim said the need to strengthen North Korea’s nuclear deterrent had grown amid what he described as increasing military threats from the United States and its allies. He claimed the country’s production capacity for weapons-grade nuclear materials has more than doubled over the past five years.

The announcement underscores Pyongyang’s continued push to expand and modernize its nuclear arsenal following the collapse of nuclear diplomacy with the United States in 2019. International nuclear watchdog officials have previously reported increased activity at North Korean nuclear facilities.