Industrial satellite tv for pc imagery of North Korea’s Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Analysis Middle from October and November 2025 reveals continuation of modernization and enlargement efforts all through the positioning. Yongbyon performs a important function within the nation’s manufacturing of nuclear materials for its weapons program, as the only real producer of plutonium and a big supply of enriched uranium.
Throughout his visits in January 2025 to nuclear weapons associated institutes, Kim Jong Un characterised the present 12 months as a “essential 12 months” for “bolstering up the nuclear forces” and emphasised the necessity for “overfulfilling the plan for producing weapons-grade nuclear supplies.[1] Exercise over the course of 2025 displays these directives, together with: constant operation of the 5 MWe Reactor since January, ongoing pre-operational testing of the Experimental Mild Water Reactor, a possible reprocessing marketing campaign over the summer season, and development of possible new enrichment and waste storage services. These enhancements all serve to assist fulfill Kim’s name for exponential development of its nuclear weapons arsenals.
Development of Doable Extra Enrichment Facility
The suspected uranium enrichment web site northeast of the radiochemical laboratory (RCL)—and its surrounding space—has change into essentially the most energetic because the begin of 2025. As reported in June, a big, at the least two-story constructing with a corridor within the center, measuring roughly 120 meters by 47 meters—comparable in footprint, development design, and safety stage to the suspected facility at Kangson—was constructed 500 meters northeast of the RCL.
The primary constructing was fully enclosed and roofed by June, however different help buildings throughout the compound remained incomplete. By October 22, imagery confirmed that the exteriors of two help buildings within the jap a part of the advanced had been full. A car shed was added close by one other, and an enclosed passageway now joins that constructing with the primary constructing. Concrete paving has been added round these buildings, and the slope throughout the compound has been terraced.
Since September, a collection of six attainable warmth exchangers has been put in alongside the southeast aspect of the primary constructing. Warmth exchangers are required to chill centrifuges and preserve managed temperatures contained in the constructing. Different tools seems to be exterior the constructing. Collectively, these objects point out it’s seemingly that work to finish the inside of the primary constructing remains to be underway.
Work to construct up land surrounding a help constructing to the south of the suspected uranium enrichment web site seems to be underway. The aim of this constructing is unknown.
Work on a semi-buried radioactive waste storage facility continues close to the Outdated Waste Website. Imagery from June 11 revealed the development of a concrete constructing, measuring roughly 20 by 12 meters, with 9 hatches on its prime, much like these of different waste websites. October imagery reveals earth overlaying the perimeters, leaving solely the highest uncovered. Instantly to its west, excavation is underway for what could also be one more underground storage vault. An enlargement of waste storage capability is consistent with Kim Jong Un’s directive to extend nuclear materials manufacturing.
A brand new administration or help constructing has been in-built an space beforehand occupied by a farming and agriculture constructing compound. Seen in its early levels of development in June, imagery from October 22 reveals grading and ground-leveling exercise.
The Reactor Space
Primarily based on out there imagery, the 5 MWe reactor has been working since October 2024, even whereas the constructing’s roof was resealed or changed and the outside partitions painted between April and August of 2025. The roofs and exteriors of buildings related to the 5 MWe had been repainted or refurbished, as nicely. As well as, minor development on the east aspect of the primary constructing has additionally been ongoing. Imagery from October 22 reveals piles of sand or mixture seen alongside the east aspect of the constructing, and new excavation—roughly 20 by 20-meters—has begun throughout the street. Whereas the aim of the excavation is unclear, it could be preparation for a brand new constructing basis. Imagery from November 13 reveals development of excessive wall docking bays exterior of the 5 MWe transport and receiving space. On November 18, two of the bays had obtained headers, suggesting they’ll have particular person entrances and certain eventual roofs. Their operate—and whether or not or not they are going to be roofed—is unclear.
The outside of the experimental light-water reactor (ELWR) has remained unchanged. Of the group of three massive help buildings situated simply exterior the safety wall, the most important has been painted purple since June. The ELWR continues its pre-operational testing previous to startup with a nuclear gas load, marked by durations of movement stoppages of cooling water outflow from September-October 2024 and November 2024-April 2025, as indicated by water discharge into the Kuryong River. In June and July 2025, discharge was noticed, however imagery all through September and October reveals discharge had ceased once more. Discharge was noticed once more on imagery from November 13. This sample signifies that the reactor is probably going nonetheless on the pre-operational testing stage.
Heavy rains and flooding in July and August breached the overflow dam within the Kuryong River close to the reactor space. The dam was designed to supply a constant water depth above the dam to make sure the reactors obtained adequate cooling waters, permitting for spillover when the river rises above a sure stage. When the river is low, the water is directed towards a sluice situated on the west finish of the dam. To get well the power to regulate the water stage, a brief, earthen levee was first prolonged into the river above the previous dam in mid- to late-September. Imagery from November 13 reveals efforts to construct a sturdier dam are underway. It seems the brand new design will probably be a extra fortified overflow dam able to withstanding seasonal flooding. Nevertheless, the flooding doesn’t seem to have interrupted reactor operations.
Uranium Enrichment Plant (UEP) and Conversion Services
During the last six months, the UEP and conversion services space have seen little or no change, seemingly as a result of important refurbishment and enlargement efforts within the final three years. Nevertheless, imagery from October 22 reveals the attainable hydrogen fluoride (HF) dealing with constructing, a 150-meter construction and integral to exercise on the UEP, seems to be subsequent up for refurbishment. There had been one massive opening within the east finish of the roof since August 2020, however a number of extra openings within the roof have been added, suggesting a whole or partial refurbishment—or dismantlement—is underway.
Radiochemical Laboratory (RCL)
Little exercise has been just lately noticed throughout the RCL (reprocessing plant) compound. The thermal plant, which gives steam to the RCL, was emitting smoke all through the spring, signifying its operation. The smoke ceased someday after June, although the precise date is unclear because of inconsistent imagery. This implies the reprocessing cycle has ended in the meanwhile. The spent gas reception constructing, which had been energetic with the common look of automobiles in the course of the spring, reveals no indicators of exercise.
50 MWe
The 50 MWe reactor, situated northwest of the RCL, was partially constructed when the Agreed Framework entered into pressure in 1994 and by no means accomplished. It has been regularly dismantled over the past a number of years, with some constructing supplies reused in different tasks across the Yongbyon advanced. Razing started in earnest in June; now all that continues to be is the primary reactor corridor. Imagery from October 22 revealed a big cell crane on the east aspect of the constructing with its increase prolonged towards the corridor. The crane had moved to the south aspect by November 13. Its presence and motion suggests dismantlement of the remaining corridor has begun.
Taming the River
Seasonal flooding of the Kuryong River has continued to plague Yongbyon as a result of space’s low elevation and the winding river path. Whereas efforts to shore up its banks has been ongoing for years, a concerted effort to higher management the movement started following the back-to-back typhoons of 2021.
Imagery from October 22 reveals roughly 80 pipes of differing lengths on the shore on the east aspect of the river, 3km north of the 5 MWe Reactor. They’re uniformly grouped by size and vary from roughly 12 meters to 25 meters. The pipes are presumably interlocking pipe piling, used within the development of a dam or levee, or to shore up the riverbanks, although their actual goal stays to be seen.
