Korea, Democratic People's Republic of

Abstract

North Korea acceded to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention in 1987, but the country is suspected of having an active biological weapons program. According to South Korea's Ministry of National Defense, former North Korean leader Kim ll Sung issued a directive that poisonous gas and bacteria could be used in war. One source reported that Kim ordered the development of biological weapons in the early 1960s. Little is known about the current status of the North Korean biological weapons program. It does have the infrastructure to produce these weapons, but it is unclear as to whether any agents have been made into weapons and if any of its rockets, aircraft, etc., are equipped to deliver such agents. North Korea does not appear to have significant, if any, ties to international terrorist organizations, but its dismal economic performance may be an incentive to sell its technology. Keywords: biological warfare; Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK; Japan; Kim Il Sung; North Korea; Pyongyang; Soviet Union; terrorism