N. Korea sees chemical arms as last deterrent before going nuclear in war with South: report

By Global Watch | 2025-07-22

North Korea is reportedly ramping up production of chemical weapons as a key element of its wartime strategy, positioning them as a final line of defense before deploying nuclear arms in a full-scale conflict with South Korea.

Internal military documents show that chemical weapons are considered "the highest means to respond immediately before the use of nuclear weapons," South Korean news site Daily NK reported on July 9, citing an unidentified high-ranking source in North Korea.

"Chemical weapons are classified as usable and the most realistic means in preparation for full-scale war," the source said. "The authorities believe chemical weapons are a strategic weapon to neutralize the enemy's headquarters and key military facilities first before using nuclear weapons."

In Pyongyang's view, simply possessing chemical weapons can intimidate opponents before war begins, leading them to hesitate, the report says.

North Korea's war plans against Seoul reportedly include scenarios for launching chemical weapon strikes near the inter-Korean border up to 48 hours before the outbreak of full-scale conflict, Daily NK said. The targets: key military assets including the Blue House, front line command posts and airfields -- all to be hit with precision-guided missiles and artillery shells armed with chemical warheads.

Sealed-off facilities

"North Korea has completed test launches of ballistic missiles carrying chemical weapons," the source was cited as saying. "It is also preparing to deploy chemical weapons with some frontline units."

North Korea's chemical weapon production and storage facilities are situated mainly in highland areas near Hamhung, Hungnam, Sinpo, Munchon and Kanggye, Daily NK's source said. Most are disguised as fertilizer, pesticide and pharmaceutical factories, it added.

The facilities are tightly sealed off from the outside world, with even senior officials required to obtain single-use passes whose encryption protocols are updated every three months, the source added.

Between 2022 and 2024, North Korea reportedly expanded its precision mixing systems and automated equipment at several sites, significantly increasing the number of fully automated chemical weapons production lines.

"North Korea loudly touts its nuclear arsenal, but it has been quietly accelerating the development of more silent and deadly chemical weapons," the source said. "Internally, the regime repeatedly stresses that it has prepared numerous invisible threats."

New ballistic missile

The Daily NK report comes as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed that the country's nuclear program will continue indefinitely as a confrontation with its enemies is "inevitable."

The remarks by Kim, reported by state-run media in January, were made as he toured a nuclear-material production facility.

Kim said 2025 would be a "crucial year" for bolstering North Korea's nuclear forces, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

"It is our firm political and military stand and invariable noble task and duty to develop the state's nuclear counteraction posture indefinitely," Kim said, according to KCNA.

The report, and Kim's nuclear factory visit, follow Pyongyang's test firing on January 25 of sea-to-surface strategic guided cruise missiles.

North Korea last year tested various nuclear-capable systems, including a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile. Such missiles have a minimum range of 5,500km and are primarily designed to deliver nuclear warheads.

North Korea says it is seeking nuclear weapons to counter threats from the United States and its allies, including South Korea.

The two Koreas remain technically at war since the 1950-1953 conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.

Relations between Pyongyang and Seoul have been at one of their lowest points in years, with the North launching a flurry of ballistic missiles last year in violation of United Nations sanctions.