What will north korea do with nuclear weapons

The UN's atomic agency reported in August that on the basis of satellite imagery, it appeared North Korea had restarted the Yongbyon reactor, thought to be its main source of weapons-grade plutonium. The International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA said in September that the nuclear programme was going "full steam ahead," with work on plutonium separation, uranium enrichment and other activities.

North Korea has one of the largest standing armies in the world - with more than one million army personnel and estimated reserves of some , Much of its equipment is old and obsolete, but its conventional forces could still inflict massive damage on South Korea in the event of war.

North Korea also has around tens of thousands of special forces troops which could be expected to infiltrate the South in the event of any conflict.

A further threat comes from thousands of North Korean artillery pieces and rocket launchers deployed along the border, putting South Korea, including the capital Seoul, which is a distance of less than 60km, well within range. In , the South Korean government assessed that North Korea could have between 2, and 5, tons of chemical weapons, potentially one of the largest stockpiles in the world. And there've also been concerns that North Korea could have a biological weapons programme, although very little is known about it and how far advanced it might be.

Read more from Reality Check. Send us your questions. North Korea unveils new submarine-launched missile. US report urges space missile defence. North Korea 'unlikely to abandon nukes'. Korean soldiers cross border in peace. Kim Jong-un warns of 'change in direction'. North Korea's sidelined human rights crisis. Image source, KCNA.

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However, they have lacked the economic, political, and conventional military means to achieve that dominance, having instead come to rely on their nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programs.

Today, North Korea's nuclear weapons pose an existential threat to the ROK, and they might soon pose a serious threat to the United States; even a few of them could cause millions of fatalities and serious casualties if detonated on ROK or U. The major ROK and U. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, despite committing to denuclearization, has continued his nuclear weapon buildup.

Teaching Tool. The BTWC mandates the elimination of existing biological weapons and prohibits developing, stockpiling, or using biological and toxin weapons. Learn More. The NPT is a treaty aimed at limiting the spread of nuclear weapons through the three pillars of non-proliferation, disarmament, and peaceful use of nuclear energy.

The Chemical Weapons Convention CWC requires countries to destroy all chemical weapons and prohibits developing, stockpiling, or using chemical weapons. See All Facilities. North Korea.