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2017.06.28
| Won | Pyongyang | Sinuiju | Hyesan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exchange Rate | 8,070 | 8,050 | 8,095 |
| Rice Price | 5,800 | 6,000 | 5,900 |
The idea of a North Korean chemical weapons attack has been thrown into sharp relief by recent events in Syria, and this has given pause to many military and government analysts in South Korea. North Korea is thought to possess approximately 2500-5000t of chemical weapons, though the country does not publicly release such statistics.
Utilizing data provided by the ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff, lawmaker Chung Hee Soo, a sitting member of the National Assembly National Defense Committee, reiterated the threat today, claiming, “It has grown more likely that North Korea could conduct a chemical weapons attack. There is also the possibility that North Korea could use pro-North elements in the South to spray portable chemical weapons.”
Chung went on to claim that the redeployment to Korea of a chemical weapons unit of the U.S. military after nine years provides circumstantial evidence of a raised threat perception. He criticized the administration, saying that the only preparations being carried out relate to the situation in the aftermath of an attack, “so we must establish a plan to respond to the source of any North Korean chemical weapons attack before it takes place.”
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea began producing chemical weapons in the 1980s. It is estimated they Pyongyang possesses 2500-5000t of agents including VX, Mustard Gas, and Sarin. North Korea has the world’s third largest stockpiles of chemical weapons, behind the United States and Russia. The North also allegedly has the capability to produce biological agents like anthrax, smallpox, and bubonic plague.
Chung also added to fears over North Korea’s capacity to attack with biological and chemical agents from the sea, proclaiming that the North has 130 hovercraft (70 in the West Sea, 60 in the East Sea) capable of launching attacks at speeds of up to 100km per hour. One of the four bases that houses North Korea’s hover fleet is just 40km as the crow flies from the Northern Limit Line, and only 50km away from Baekryeong Island, he warned.
It should be noted that Chung was speaking in the context of the National Defense Committee, an organization that is explicitly obliged to envision worst-case attack scenarios. There is no evidence that North Korea intends to conduct chemical or biological attacks on South Korea at this time.
Utilizing data provided by the ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff, lawmaker Chung Hee Soo, a sitting member of the National Assembly National Defense Committee, reiterated the threat today, claiming, “It has grown more likely that North Korea could conduct a chemical weapons attack. There is also the possibility that North Korea could use pro-North elements in the South to spray portable chemical weapons.”
Chung went on to claim that the redeployment to Korea of a chemical weapons unit of the U.S. military after nine years provides circumstantial evidence of a raised threat perception. He criticized the administration, saying that the only preparations being carried out relate to the situation in the aftermath of an attack, “so we must establish a plan to respond to the source of any North Korean chemical weapons attack before it takes place.”
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea began producing chemical weapons in the 1980s. It is estimated they Pyongyang possesses 2500-5000t of agents including VX, Mustard Gas, and Sarin. North Korea has the world’s third largest stockpiles of chemical weapons, behind the United States and Russia. The North also allegedly has the capability to produce biological agents like anthrax, smallpox, and bubonic plague.
Chung also added to fears over North Korea’s capacity to attack with biological and chemical agents from the sea, proclaiming that the North has 130 hovercraft (70 in the West Sea, 60 in the East Sea) capable of launching attacks at speeds of up to 100km per hour. One of the four bases that houses North Korea’s hover fleet is just 40km as the crow flies from the Northern Limit Line, and only 50km away from Baekryeong Island, he warned.
It should be noted that Chung was speaking in the context of the National Defense Committee, an organization that is explicitly obliged to envision worst-case attack scenarios. There is no evidence that North Korea intends to conduct chemical or biological attacks on South Korea at this time.
