North Korea quietly building chemical weapons for combat
In a dangerous escalation, the official told local media outlet Daily NK that North Korea is preparing to 'deploy chemical weapons to some frontline units' and has already completed 'test launches' of ballistic missiles carrying chemical weapons.
The despotic regime considers chemical weapons to be an increasingly important strategic deterrent and has exponentially expanded research, development and production systems.
'Chemical weapons are classified as usable and the most realistic means in preparation for full-scale war,' the source said.
They added that chemical weapons could be used alongside nuclear weapons in the event of a conflict.
'The authorities believe chemical weapons are a strategic weapon to neutralise the enemy's headquarters and key military facilities first, before using nuclear weapons,' said the source.
The most likely target for an attack would be South Korea, which has technically been at war with the North since the 1950s, though no open conflict has taken place for decades.
Although North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has abandoned reunification goals, he has threatened to attack the South with nuclear weapons if provoked.
An internal military document seen by Daily NK also confirmed that North Korea considers chemical weapons to be the 'highest means to respond immediately before the use of nuclear weapons'.
With at least 50 nuclear warheads in its stockpile, the regime source said that North Korea 'publicly brags' about its nuclear capabilities but has 'quietly' and 'rapidly' been developing 'deadly chemical weapons' as well.
Between 2022 and 2024, the regime drastically expanded its precision mixing systems and increased the number of fully automated production lines.
South Korea estimates that the North has a stockpile of 2,500 to 5,000 tons of chemical weapons agents with the program focused on acquiring cyanide, mustard, phosgene, sarin and VX.
VX, an extremely toxic nerve agent, is believed to have been used to kill Kim Jong Un's half-brother, Kim Jong-nam in 2017, following rumours that he posed a threat to the regime.
The regime is also reportedly working on developing new biochemicals that can be used to immobilise targets without killing them.
A report published by the RAND Corporation in the US in 2022 also raised concerns about North Korea's chemical weapons programme, estimating that a 1,000-kilogram sarin attack could kill as many as 125,000 people.
Chemical weapons in North Korea are managed by the Nuclear-Chemical Defense Bureau, which sits within the regime's army and oversees seven chemical weapon brigades that handle chemical attacks, decontamination and protection.
The country's chemical weapon and storage facilities, which are often disguised as fertiliser or pharmaceutical factories, are scattered across the country, but are mostly concentrated in highland areas north of the capital Pyongyang.
The high-ranking source from the regime said that even senior level officials can only enter the sites with single-use passes and the encryption systems are changed every three months.
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