North Korea's weapons of mass destruction could be stolen by breakaway separatists (Credit: Image by Виктория Бородинова from Pixabay, Free for commercial use, no attribution required)

NORTH KOREA’S nuclear, biological and chemical weapons could be stolen from secret stockpiles by breakaway separatists if Kim jong un dies and his regime collapses in a bitter war of succession, a US military researcher has warned.

Patrick R. Terrell, as senior research fellow at the US National Defense University in Washington DC said: “We do not yet face a clear and present existential threat to the American homeland, but we are getting closer each day. The threat will be very real very shortly.”

In his research article for the John Hopkins’s Institute called ‘North Korean Collapse: Weapons of Mass Destruction Use and Proliferation Challenges’ Doctor Terrell said that if the North Korean regime collapsed after Kim Jong un’s death, “there remains the possibility of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons being smuggled out of the country.”

Referring to nuclear, biological and chemical weapons being stolen and smuggled out of a collapsing North Korean regime he added: “Scientists closer to the Chinese border may attempt to infiltrate across the land border, while military commanders close to the coast may attempt to smuggle weapons through China aboard fishing boats or coastal submarines.

“Meanwhile, workers at research facilities could steal and hide high value equipment with the intent of selling it on the black market simply for money.”

He also described North Korean military commanders stealing nuclear, chemical and biological weapons to military commanders with access to chemical, biological or nuclear weapons to use as bargaining chips with the invaders, “gain status in a new government, money or safe passage out of the country”.

South Korea and the US have strategic control over the land, sea and air of the region in and around the Korean peninsula, so over the years the Kim’s began developing tactical weaponry that would ensure they still posed a threat.

Chemical weapons

The North Korean leadership first began to develop chemical and then biologic weapons that have the potential to devastate large urban environments on the Korean peninsula, and if not controlled, in the case of their biological armaments, the entire globe could be affected.

The totalitarian state has plentiful stockpiles of World War One era mustard gas and Second World War canisters of lewisite.

But more alarming is the countries development of G-series and V-series nerve agents, such as the use of VX nerve agent in the assassination of Kim Jong Nam, Kim Jong Un’s half-brother, in Malaysia.

Biological weapons

US security think-tank 38 North, maintained that North Korea’s biological weapons stockpile has the potential to be much more destabilising to the global order than it’s chemical weapons programs.

Even though the country is a member of the Biological and Toxins Weapons Convention, North Korea has been developing insidious pathogens under the guise of legitimate pharmaceutical and

medical research.

North Korea is believed to have built its biological weapons program with little outside interference.

The regime are known to possess stockpiles and delivery mechanisms for the anthrax and smallpox pathogens.

Of its lethal arsenal of biological agents Kim’s regime possess the causative agents for Botulism, Cholera, Korean Hemorrhagic Fever, Bubonic Plague, Smallpox, Typhoid Fever and Yellow Fever.

In addition to those mentioned, they have been researching the cultivation of Ebola, Dysentery, Staph, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Alimentary Toxic Aleukia.

Although the regime is not thought to have the technological capacity to equip warheads and disperse biological weapons via intercontinental missiles, they may be developing an autonomous drone delivery mechanism.

A recently escaped North Korean defector witnessed the mounting of undisclosed biological weapons delivery system on an autonomous drone.

He added that the drone’s biological weapons were tested on animal populations.

Other defectors have claimed that the isolated regime have tested biological weapons on human subjects, but these claims have not been substantiated.

Nuclear weapons

By far the most destructive element of the North Korean arsenal are its ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons program.

The rogue state is very close to minimising a warhead that could be mounted on a ballistic missile, alarmingly they have tested both atomic and the more powerful hydrogen bomb.

Referring to what the United States and its allies could do to curtail North Korean weapons of mass destruction programs, Doctor Terrell said: “While sanctions against North Korean elites are important to raising pressure inside Pyongyang, financial, diplomatic, and informational pressure must be applied to cut off potential licit and illicit trading partners around the world.

“The Kim regime provides ample evidence that the US can use to influence all legitimate governments or businesses to choose to forego any commercial or political support of North Korea.”

Article by B Jolley author lynwerkledges@gmail.com B Jolley is a journalist who submits articles to thehumanoid.net and also to medium. See author's posts