U.N. Nuclear Watchdog Chief Warns North Korea Nuclear Has Expanded "Exponentially"

News Summary

The chief of the U.N. nuclear watchdog Rafael Grossi warned that North Korea’s nuclear weapons program has expanded “exponentially,” with the regime possibly possessing up to 50 nuclear warheads and actively constructing a third enrichment facility.

He emphasized the need for renewed dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang, criticizing the “disarm or no talk” stance as overly simplistic.

Grossi highlighted past presidential diplomacy, such as Trump’s direct communication with Kim Jong Un, as a useful precedent for reengagement.

Commentary

While Rafael Grossi’s concerns about North Korea’s expanding nuclear arsenal are valid, his call for renewed dialogue misses the core issue.

Decades of failed negotiations have shown that Pyongyang has no intention of giving up its nuclear weapons—Kim Jong Un sees them as essential to the regime’s survival.

Dialogue under these circumstances risks buying the regime more time to advance its nuclear ambitions, as history has repeatedly demonstrated.

Rather than fixating on surface-level diplomacy, the international community must confront the deeper reality: the Kim regime itself is the root of the problem.