Even if Pyongyang gives up its nukes, it will still have biological and chemical weapons and EMPs.
In September, U. S. President Donald Trump explained that he wanted to hold a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump was glad to see Kim’s declaration at the inter-Korea summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, explicitly supporting the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, but Washington should not be satisfied with the current scope of North Korean denuclearization. Trump also needs to talk with Pyongyang about its extensive arsenal of other weapons of mass destruction (WMD), such as its biological and chemical weapons and electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapons.
There are three reasons why Trump has to pursue North Korean WMD disarmament in addition to denuclearization, and he should bring these concerns to the negotiations with North Korea at the second U. S.-DPRK summit.
Biological and Chemical Weapons
First, North Korea’s biological weapons (BW) and chemical weapons (CW) capabilities can offset any denuclearization agreement that is reached between the United States and North Korea. If Washington and Seoul are able to attain North Korean concessions on denuclearization, but do not deal with Pyongyang’s BW and CW in the same process, North Korea will still be able to threaten South Korea with capabilities that are nearly as destructive as nuclear weapons.
North Korea has 13 different types of biological weapons such as anthrax and smallpox, which it can weaponize within 10 days. According to a report by the Korea Institute for National Unification, North Korea has the ability to make a ton of anthrax in a year. Anthrax has a greater than 80 percent fatality rate, with 50 percent of afflicted people dying within two days. A mere 200 pounds of anthrax can kill around 3 million people.
Pyongyang is also thought to possess the world’s largest arsenal of CW after the United States and Russia. Many experts guess that North Korea has stockpiled between 2,500-5,000 tons of CW and that it has the capability to make an additional 12,000 tons at maximum capacity. According to RAND’s Bruce Bennett, one ton of sarin gas can kill 230,000 people and North Korea already has a stockpile of around 5,000 tons.
Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Weapons
North Korea’s EMP weapons are also a big problem. As detailed by a 2017 report from a congressional commission on the threats posed to the United States by EMP attack, a North Korean EMP against the United States could decimate 90 percent of the U.
