North Korea's nuclear surge comes amid increasing citizen hardship

Global Watch | 2026-03-17

As Pyongyang recently concluded its Ninth Party Congress and unveiled plans for further nuclear expansion, the stark contrast between military ambitions and civilian plight becomes ever more apparent.

The pattern fits a broader cycle in which highly publicized military projects are framed as national breakthroughs even as public services and living conditions continue to deteriorate.

Kim Jong Un has vowed to increase the number of nuclear weapons and enhance delivery systems, even amid persistent food insecurity for millions of his people.

This focus on advanced weaponry, including a nuclear-powered submarine under construction, continues to drain resources from a population already stretched thin.

Famine risks return

North Korea's leadership clings to its "military first" policy, channeling scarce resources into weapons while basic needs go unmet.

UN data shows that 11.8 million people, 46% of the population, remain undernourished, according to a February 2025 report. Food prices have soared, with the price of rice in Pyongyang nearly doubling from late 2023 to early 2025.

Market curbs and biased state rations have hurt rural families most.

In March 2025, UN Special Rapporteur Elizabeth Salmón warned of "instances of starvation" during border closures and increased risks during the spring harvest gap.

In a February 2025 report, she also argued that North Korea’s "extreme militarization" was significantly reducing the resources available for economic, social and cultural rights.

She noted that the public distribution system is "discriminatory and irregular," favoring only loyalists. The crisis mirrors the 1990s famine because priorities remain unchanged.

Rural home construction plunged in 2025 to just 32,000 units, falling well below targets, while inspectors reviewed an 8,700-tonne nuclear-powered submarine.

Arms sales to Russia, worth up to $5.5 billion by late 2024, have drained industrial capacity and labor.

Even North Koreans call the nuclear program a direct economic burden.

One citizen told Center for Strategic and International Studies researchers in 2018: "Nuclear weapons development is greatly impeding our economic development because all of the government's money is being wasted on the weapons program."

These facts rarely appear in mainstream reports yet they show how elite projects starve ordinary citizens.

Rising external threat

Beyond domestic costs, Pyongyang's accelerating nuclear and missile programs pose wider risks.

At the February Party Congress, Kim vowed to "expand and strengthen our national nuclear power," approving more warheads, underwater missiles, and hypersonic and anti-satellite systems.

The Hwasong ICBM and hypersonic tests now threaten the US mainland and strain allied defenses.

The nuclear-powered submarine will deliver a survivable second-strike capability, rounding out a nuclear triad.

Analyst Vann H. Van Diepen in a January blog post for 38 North noted that solid-fuel ICBMs and tactical weapons "can make important contributions to the credibility and survivability of [North Korea's] nuclear force."

Ties with Russia, including troop deployments to Ukraine, allow Pyongyang to test weapons in combat, gain technology and earn revenue.

The regime now threatens "offensive action" against US-South Korea drills and rejects denuclearization talks unless its arsenal is formally accepted.

North Korea's nuclear surge thus serves dual aims: bolstering internal control through military prestige while projecting power that unsettles the region.

The human toll -- chronic hunger, stalled rural development and diverted resources -- remains the least-discussed cost.

As Kim sets new five-year goals, the world confronts a more dangerous nuclear adversary built on the suffering of millions.