What does North Korea's nuclear arsenal look like?
What's the story
New visuals have surfaced showing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a uranium enrichment facility, which is known to produce fuel for nuclear bombs.
This has led to increased speculation about the size of North Korea's nuclear arsenal.
According to a July report by the Arms Control Association, countries such as the United States, Russia, France, India, and United Kingdom collectively possess over 12,000 nuclear warheads—with approximately 9,000 being active and the rest awaiting disarmament.
Program evolution
North Korea's nuclear program
North Korea initiated its nuclear program in the early 1950s with the establishment of the Atomic Energy Research Institute and the Academy of Sciences.
The program progressed significantly through cooperative agreements with the Soviet Union, leading to construction of uranium milling facilities, a fuel rod fabrication complex, and a 5MW(e) nuclear reactor.
In 1985, North Korea became party to the Treaty on Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), but announced its withdrawal from it in 2003.
Nuclear tests
North Korea's nuclear tests
Following its withdrawal from the NPT, North Korea conducted its first nuclear test at the Punggye-ri test site.
The country has since carried out several more tests, with the last one occurring in 2017.
This explosion had a force or "yield" of between 100-370 kilotonnes, making it six times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 by the US.
Nuclear goals
Kim Jong Un's nuclear goals and arsenal estimates
In recent years, Kim has expressed his intention to accelerate North Korea's nuclear program.
He stated in 2021 that his goal was to make North Korea the most powerful nuclear force and declared that their status as a nuclear weapons state "has now become irreversible."
Due to North Korea's isolation, exact numbers of their nuclear weapons are unknown. However, experts estimate they have assembled between 40-50 warheads at the low end, with some analyzes suggesting up to 116 warheads.
Delivery and funding
North Korea's nuclear delivery capabilities and funding sources
North Korea reportedly has the capability to deliver nuclear weapons on various land-based missile systems, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of targeting distances as far away as the continental United States.
They also possess a submarine named Hero Kim Kun Ok, which can launch nuclear weapons.
Reports suggest that North Korea funds its nuclear ambitions through clandestine transfers and even ransomware attacks, with estimates indicating that they have already generated as much as $3 billion from cybercrime.