On Sept. 1, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors (BoG) released its annual report on North Korea. Despite the fact that the Agency’s physical presence in North Korea ended in April 2009, the IAEA continues to monitor declared and known civilian nuclear sites in the DPRK, including several facilities at the Yongbyon complex, the Pyongsan uranium mine and other nuclear sites.

Without physical on-the-ground access to these facilities in North Korea, the IAEA relies primarily on geospatial analysis — including through the use of satellite imagery — to offer informed assessments on the state of North Korea