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Country Report: North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea)

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3/14/2008 [Total Votes: 459, Hits: 21351]Print

Introduction
After World War II, the imperial forces of Japan which controlled the Korean peninsula surrendered partly to the United States and partly to the Soviet Union. Because of the failure of the two superpowers to agree to a solution to withdraw from the region, the peninsula was divided into two parts along the 38th parallel into North and South. The United States attempted to unify the two Koreas through the United Nations but failed miserably. The anxiety of both the Koreas over unification ultimately resulted in the Korean War (1950-53).¹ Both North and South Korea still remain technically at war as no formal peace treaty has been signed between the two signifying the end of the war.

Civilian Nuclear Programme
With an estimated four-million tons of exploitable high-quality uranium ore, North Korea began its nuclear programme in the 1960s with the help of the Soviet Union.² Under the cooperation agreement concluded between the USSR and the DPRK, a nuclear research center was constructed near the small town of Yongbyon. In 1965 a Soviet IRT-2M research reactor was assembled for this center. From 1965 through 1973 fuel (fuel elements) enriched to 10 percent was supplied to the DPRK for this reactor.³

In the 1970s North Korea focused on the nuclear fuel cycle including refining, conversion and fabrication. In the same period it began to build a 5 MWe research reactor, what is called as the "second reactor." In 1977 the country concluded an agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), allowing the latter to inspect a research reactor which was built with the assistance of the USSR.⁴

WMD Overview

(i). Nuclear Weapons
1980s marks the beginning of the North Korean weaponisation intentions. The declassified US intelligence documents reveal that even though concern was expressed about the North Korean programme, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) did not identify it as a move towards weaponisation.¹ However, the CIA did note the energy-production rationale for the programme and the lack of evidence that the North was actually planning to join the nuclear club. Under international pressure, the DPRK signed the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1985 and yet continued to harbour nuclear ambitions.⁶

By early 1990s, it was clear that North Korea was on a definitive path of weaponisation. The Clinton administration hurriedly entered into negotiations with North Korean leader, Kim Il Sung and drew up the Agreed Framework Accord in 1994 by which Washington offered heavy fuel oil and help building nuclear energy plants in exchange for North's promise that it would shut down its nuclear weapons programme at the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Centre.⁷ The agreement also saw the creation of Korea Energy Development Organization (KEDO).⁸ However by early 2001, North Korea was back pursuing nuclear programme. The Bush administration sought to contain North Korea by all means possible, in the aftermath of September 11 terrorist attacks terming it as a part of "axis of evil" along with Iraq and Iran.⁹

In 2006, North Korea announced to the stunned international community that it had become a nuclear weapons state, after conducting a test. The estimated yield of the test was less than one kiloton.¹⁰ With the aim of denuclearisation of the DPRK, Six-Party Talks were convened involving the two Koreas, the United States, Russia, Japan and China. The talks appeared to be stumbling initially.¹¹ However, in February 2007, the DPRK agreed for full denuclearisation in the face of rising domestic food and energy shortages.¹² The US has demanded that DPRK should fully declare its nuclear programme and disable key facilities before the end of February 2008.¹³

(ii). Chemical Weapons
North Korea is not a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).¹⁴ Since the early 1990s, official US, Russian and South Korean government publications have all described North Korea as having an active chemical weapons (CW) programme that has gone beyond research and development and includes the actual production and stockpiling of chemical weapons. There is considerable uncertainty, however, over the composition of that stockpile. Given its large- though ageing- chemical industry, North Korea is generally thought to be capable of producing all of the traditional chemical warfare agents (nerve, blister, blood and choking).¹⁵ Reports indicate that the country has some 12 facilities where raw chemicals, precursors, and actual agents are produced and/or stored, and six major storage depots for chemical weapons ordnance¹⁶.

(iii). Biological Weapons
North Korea signed the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) in 1987.¹⁷ Yet it is suspected to have a biological weapons programme.¹⁸ While official South Korean sources claim that North Korea has weaponised one or two biological agents, official US and Russian sources characterise North Korea as 'capable' of producing a variety of agents, including anthrax, cholera and plague without judging that North Korea has actually produced biological weapons.¹⁹ Yet Western strategic experts also argue that DPRK realises that biological weapons are as dangerous to its own forces as they are to South Korean or US forces, and its limited medical services could make the agents more lethal. This would make these weapons a much less desirable option.²⁰

Delivery Systems

The DPRK remains the world's most militaristic state. It commits roughly 25 percent of its GDP to military spending.²¹ It is believed to have more than 800 ballistic missiles, including long-range missiles which could potentially strike the US. They are believed to be based on Scud missiles²² including a medium-range missile, the Nodong, and a long-range missile, the Taepodong. North Korea is now believed to be working on modifications to the Taepodong,²³ including the Taepodong-2, which could have a range of up to 6,000 km, and which was first test fired in July 2006.²⁴

North Korea Missiles Inventory²⁵
Designation	Stages	Engine	Range
KN-1	1	turbojet	110 km
KN-2	1	solid	110 km
Scud-B	1	liquid	300 km
Hwasong-5	1	liquid	330 km
Hwasong-6	1	liquid	500 km
No-dong-1, 2	1	liquid	1,300 km
No-dong-B	1	liquid	2750 - 4000 km
Taepodong-1	2	liquid	2000 - 2900 km
Taepodong-2	2	liquid	3750 - 15,000 km
NKSL-1**	3	liquid + solid	orbital
NKSL-X-2***	3	liquid + solid	orbital
** The NKSL-1 is a Taepodong-1 missile with a third stage and satellite added.
*** NKSL-X-2 is a Taepodong-2 missile with a third stage and satellite added.

North Korea is not a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).²⁶

Comparatively not much attention has been given to other aspects of the military. The North Korean Air Force's inventory consists primarily of aircrafts manufactured using 1950s and 1960s Soviet Union or Chinese technology. While the North Korean Navy is primarily a coastal navy organized into two fleets- the East Coast Fleet, with eight operational commands, and the West Coast Fleet, with five operational commands.²⁷

Treaties and Conventions Signed²⁸
Treaty, Conventions, Grouping	Status
NPT	Withdrew in 2003, violated Article II obligations
CTBT	Not signed
PTBT	State Party
IAEA Safeguard Aggrement	Yes (INFCIRC 403)
1994 US-DPRK Agreed Framework	Signatory
Geneva Protocol	State Party