NPT Side Event: Assessing North Korea's Developing Nuclear Programme hosted by the Korea Society

Sarah's

The Korea Society hosts an NPT side event with ONN’s Sarah Laderman, exploring DPRK nuclear developments, including fuel cycle, weaponisation and how open-source methods deepen understanding of an opaque programme.

Event Overview

As part of the broader programme of events surrounding the upcoming NPT Review Conference, Open Nuclear Network (ONN) is contributing to discussions on key nuclear policy challenges. As interest grows in understanding the DPRK’s nuclear programme through open-source analysis, new tools and methodologies are helping to shed light on one of the world’s most opaque systems. 

We are pleased to highlight an upcoming event hosted by The Korea Society: Assessing North Korea's Developing Nuclear Programme

This session will feature Sarah Laderman, Senior Analyst at Open Nuclear Network (a PAX sapiens programme), who will present key findings from ONN’s recent research on the DPRK’s nuclear fuel cycle and weaponisation capabilities.

In conversation with Jonathan Corrado, Policy Director at The Korea Society, the discussion will explore:

  • New methodologies for analysing an otherwise opaque programme
  • Insights into North Korea’s nuclear development
  • Implications for verification, monitoring, and diplomacy

For those who have followed ONN’s recent DPRK work, including our StoryMaps on high-explosive testing, this session offers a deeper look into the analysis behind these outputs.

Event Details

Location: The Korea Society, 350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor, New York, NY
Time: Thursday, 7 May 2026 | 5:30 PM (EDT)
Format: In person & Online

Register

Published

April 26, 2026

Topic

Program

Open Nuclear Network

Content Type

News

ONN Completes Multi-year VERTIC-led Project on Open-Source Assessments of the DPRK’s Nuclear Programme
Last month, ONN completed its analytical contributions to the Open-Source Assessments of the DPRK’s Nuclear Programme project led by VERTIC in partnership with CNS and RUSI and funded by Global Affairs Canada. The project, running since 2019, culminated on 26 March 2026 with a launch event held in Vienna to present high-level findings on the DPRK’s nuclear fuel cycle and weaponisation capabilities to subject matter experts and Vienna-based diplomats.
March 30, 2026
StoryMaps: High-Explosives Testing in the DPRK and Comparative Analyses to Nuclear-Armed States
As part of the multi-year project, Open-Source Assessments of the DPRK’s Nuclear Programme, we are releasing a suite of interactive maps and deep-dive analyses into the DPRK’s high-explosive testing infrastructure. By comparing North Korean facilities with known sites in other nuclear-armed states, this research provides a new baseline for understanding the DPRK's progress toward sophisticated weaponisation
March 25, 2026
High-Explosives Testing in Nuclear Weapons Programmes
This paper examines how high-explosives support implosion-type nuclear weapons and why their testing matters. Building on ONN and VERTIC's open-source work on DPRK nuclear capabilities, it offers a practical baseline for analysing high-explosives testing programmes and signatures in the DPRK and other states.
Elin Bergner
Sarah Laderman
March 12, 2026
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