Koreańska Republika Ludowo-Demokratyczna mocarstwem jądrowym

Abstrakt

In recent years, we have seen a deterioration of the security environment in the Asian region. This situation is mainly influenced by the political, economic, and military rivalry among states. Countries that have nuclear weapons in their arsenals play important roles in the security system. Of the nine countries with nuclear weapons, four are in Asia. Along with increasing their nuclear capabilities, these states are also revising their war doctrines, often moving away from deterrence strategies and envisaging the use of nuclear weapons as a means of first strike.

North Korea has made significant progress over the past two decades in developing its nuclear weapons arsenal, including means of delivery. It has conducted six nuclear tests and tested a number of new ballistic missiles, several of which can hit targets in Northeast Asia and potentially in the United States and Europe. It is estimated that North Korea could potentially produce 20 to 30 warheads to be delivered mainly by medium and short-range ballistic missiles. In September 2022, North Korea announced it would respond to attacks on its nuclear command and control systems by launching a nuclear attack “automatically and immediately.”