North Korea is thought to have between 20 and 60 nuclear bombs – as well as a 2,500- to 5,000-tonne supply of 20 types of chemical weapons, the third largest in the world, according to reports.
The U.S. Department of Commerce made the assessment in its recent report, entitled “North Korean Tactics,” and said Pyongyang was unlikely to give up weapons in its bid to prevent a regime change, the South Korean government said in a statement. Yonhap News Agency.
“Estimates for North Korean nuclear weapons range from 20-60 bombs, with the potential to produce 6 new devices each year,” the U.S. military said, noting that some reports suggest the regime will cut 100 to 100 by the end of 2020.
“North Korea sought nuclear weapons because its leaders thought the threat of a nuclear attack would prevent other countries from considering a regime change,” the U.S. military said.
The report also pointed out that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had witnessed the case of Moammar Gaddafi of Libya and “does not want anything to happen in North Korea.”
“External forces were operating in Libya between when the domestic uprisings began in 2011,” the report said.
It is “very likely” that the Army of the Hermit Kingdom would “use chemical artillery shells,” it said.
“North Korea may have anthrax or smallpox weapons that can be assembled for use” against South Korea, the US and Japan, the report said.
It added that one kilogram of anthrax could kill up to 50,000 people in the South Korean capital, Seoul, home to about 10 million people, the Korea Herald reported.
Meanwhile, Pyongyang oversees electronic warfare operations under the Cyber Warfare Guidance Unit, more commonly known as Bureau 121, with more than 6,000 computer hackers working internationally to gather intelligence, disable hostile networks and commit financial crimes.
“North Korea can successfully carry out invasive computer war activities on the security of its own territory,” the report said. “It has the distributed ability to access targeted computers anywhere in the world as long as they are connected to the Internet.”
Negotiations between North Korea and the US over Pyongyang’s nuclear programs have been stalled since February 2019 when the second summit between President Trump and Kim in Hanoi broke out.
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