North Korea reveals images of uranium enrichment facility for the first time

North Korea released images of its uranium enrichment facility on Friday, showing leader Kim Jong Un touring the site. Kim called for an increase in centrifuges to boost the country's nuclear arsenal for "self-defence," state media reported.

North Korea released images of its uranium enrichment facility for the first time on Friday, showing leader Kim Jong Un touring it as he called for more centrifuges to boost his nuclear arsenal.

The country, which conducted its first nuclear test in 2006 and is under rafts of UN sanctions for its banned weapons programmes, has never publicly disclosed details of its uranium enrichment facility.

Such facilities produce highly enriched uranium -- which is needed to produce nuclear warheads -- by spinning the original material in centrifuges at high speeds.

Kim toured the Nuclear Weapons Institute and the "production base of weapon-grade nuclear materials," the official Korean Central News Agency reported, without giving the location of the facility or the date of the visit.

Kim "stressed the need to further augment the number of centrifuges in order to exponentially increase the nuclear weapons for self-defence," state media reported, publishing images of Kim inspecting rows of centrifuges.

Kim "acquainted himself with the production of nuclear warheads and current nuclear materials," the report said.

It is unlikely that the disclosure will be quickly followed by another nuclear test, he said.

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