10
Loading video...
By Ryan Chan
China News Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
A top South Korean official warned on Monday that Kim Jong Un's regime in the North has almost completed the development of nuclear weapons for battlefield use.
In an interview with Japanese media in Seoul, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik discussed the importance of trilateral cooperation between his country, Japan, and their mutual ally, the United States, to counter threats posed by Pyongyang.
South Korea and Japan, where the U.S. has deployed forces to support its allies, are facing a common threat from North Korea's nuclear weapon program, Shin told the Yomiuri Shimbun.
Read More on World
"Although no deployment has been confirmed, development is believed to be in the final stages," he said of the "accelerating development" of tactical nuclear weapons. "The reach of these weapons includes U.S. military bases in Japan, so there is a possibility that North Korea may attempt to use nuclear weapons in the event of a contingency."
Tactical nuclear weapons are shorter-range and lower yield, according to the Arms Control Association. They are used for attacking troops on the battlefield, unlike strategic ones, such as nuclear ballistic missiles that have an intercontinental range that can destroy entire cities.
...
The North, which has previously conducted six nuclear weapon tests, claimed it now possessed tactical nuclear weapons and had conducted exercises to assess its counterattack capability; however, the country has never revealed the true size of its arsenal.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimated Pyongyang had 50 nuclear weapons as of January, and it may have enough material to produce 90 more. North Korea passed a law two years ago that made its nuclear status "irreversible."
Joseph Dempsey, a research associate for defense and military analysis at the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank, explained that North Korea and its leadership have closely linked regime survival to its development of nukes and the means of delivering them.
There are currently around 54,000 American military personnel stationed in Japan, while 28,500 U.S. service members are deployed in South Korea. The U.S. forces in Japan are there to support regional operations in crisis and contingency.
South Korea's defense chief also raised concerns about the quasi-alliance between Pyongyang and Moscow. Kim signed a treaty with Russian President Vladimir Putin in June in which they pledged mutual military assistance in the event of the other being attacked.
Shin revealed that, as of July 15, the North had shipped 11,000 containers of arms to Russia, which would be enough to carry 5.2 million rounds of 152 mm artillery shells. He said he believed that Pyongyang has supplied several dozen ballistic missiles to Moscow as well.
...
In December last year, Russia launched North Korean-made missiles at targets in Ukraine for the first time since the war broke out in February 2022, one month after receiving and testing them, according to analysis published by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency in May.
During a meeting with Russia's Deputy Defense Minister Aleksey Krivoruchko in Pyongyang on July 18, Kim discussed military cooperation between the two countries to "defend mutual security interests," according to a report by North Korean state media.
Newsweek has contacted North Korea's embassy in Beijing and the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment by email.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines