North Korea is continuing to expand its nuclear research center

Satellite images of North Korea's Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center show that "improvements to the infrastructure ... are continuing at a rapid pace," analysts from the 38north website said.

After President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met earlier this month in Singapore, they issued a joint statement agreeing to "work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," without sharing any details on when and how this will happen. 38north founder Joel Wit said he does not "find it surprising at all" that work is ongoing at the site, since "we don't have a deal yet, we just have a general commitment." 38north's report concludes that uranium enrichment appears to be underway at the site, which currently produces enough material to make two or three bombs every two years.

James Acton, co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program, told NBC News that if North Korea was "serious about unilaterally disarming, of course they would have stopped work at Yongbyon. There is a huge gulf between what the administration apparently thinks North Korea is going to do and what they intend to do, and that's exceptionally dangerous."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up