On Friday, North Korea offered a rare view of a clandestine uranium-enrichment facility used for its nuclear arsenal, featuring images of its leader, Kim Jong Un, touring the site.

The North Korean state media, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), published pictures showing Kim observing multiple centrifuges and receiving briefings from military personnel and scientists at the Nuclear Weapons Institute.

During his visit, Kim reportedly expressed “great satisfaction” and stated he “felt strong” regarding the facility’s increasing production of weapons-grade nuclear materials, as mentioned in a KCNA statement. He also underscored the urgency for Pyongyang to “massively increase” its stockpile of nuclear weapons.

Details about the facility’s location were not revealed, nor was there an indication of when Kim’s visit occurred or the motive behind the release of the images. Notably, this announcement coincided with the week of the first U.S. presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. Some analysts suggest this timing may serve to elevate North Korea’s nuclear significance as the U.S. election approaches and before any potential nuclear discussions.

According to Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, which is affiliated with South Korea’s government, these images might serve as an election “message,” signaling to the future U.S. administration that “denuclearization of North Korea is not feasible.”

Enriched uranium is a crucial component, along with plutonium, needed for creating nuclear warheads. The enrichment process involves placing uranium in centrifuges—machines that spin containers at extremely high speeds to separate substances.

North Korea has never formally disclosed the total number of nuclear weapons it possesses. A recent assessment by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimated that North Korea holds about 50 “stored” nuclear warheads, which are not actively deployed across its various land-based missile systems.

Out of more than 12,000 nuclear warheads worldwide, over 10,500 are owned by the U.S. and Russia. The Stockholm Institute reports that both countries have around 1,700 “deployed” nuclear warheads, ready to be launched from land or sea-based missile systems and aircraft.

North Korea has conducted six nuclear tests, all of which took place underground in secret tunnels beneath mountains. Its most recent test occurred in 2017. Cheong Seong-chang, a specialist at the Sejong Institute, a think tank focused on diplomacy and security, indicated to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency that North Korea might be preparing for its seventh test.