South Korea’s Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said on Thursday that intelligence estimates put North Korea’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium (HEU) at around 2,000 kilograms — or roughly two metric tons — raising fresh alarm over Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions.
Chung noted that HEU in North Korea is believed to exceed 90 percent enrichment purity, placing it squarely in the weapons-grade category. He added that centrifuges remain active at four known sites, suggesting a broader network of enrichment capacity than previously disclosed.
Such a stockpile would represent a dramatic escalation from earlier estimates. In 2018, for instance, outside assessments ranged between 250 and 500 kilograms of HEU—enough for perhaps 25 to 30 warheads under some scenarios. According to Chung, a 2,000-kg stockpile could support a much larger weapons production potential.
Seoul’s disclosure is likely to intensify pressure on the international community to reinvigorate diplomatic and security sanctions toward North Korea. But experts caution that verifying the precise scope, location, and operational readiness of enrichment facilities is extraordinarily difficult given Pyongyang’s secrecy and underground setups.
