Publications and Analyses

The paper was submitted for the IAEA's Symposium on International Safeguards: Reflecting on the Past and Anticipating the Future.

The paper was submitted for the IAEA's Symposium on International Safeguards: Reflecting on the Past and Anticipating the Future.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) launched a total of 12 ballistic missiles, including short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) and one intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), on seven separate occasions from 25 September to 9 October 2022.

Between late June and mid-July 2022, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) experienced heavy rainfall and flooding after having suffered severe drought from April through June 2022. The southwestern region - an important agricultural production base for the country - was significantly aff...

On 10 August 2022, Kim Jong Un declared "victory" over the COVID-19 epidemic at the "National meeting of reviewing the emergency anti-epidemic work", while Kim Yo Jong reiterated previous North Korean claims that the virus had entered the country from South Korea and threatened to wipe out the South...

In its October 2020, January 2021 and April 2022 military parades, the DPRK displayed three types of large submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs): the Pukguksong-4ㅅ, the Pukguksong-5ㅅand an unnamed SLBM, respectively. To date, none of these SLBMs have been flight tested and their developmenta...

The DPRK has conducted six nuclear tests, each of which took place within months of long-range rocket or satellite launches. In anticipation of a possible seventh nuclear test, information on the first six tests has been compiled in this backrounder.

In a previous publication dated 16 May 2022, ONN reported on the outbreak of COVID-19 in the DPRK. Subsequent developments indicate that the regime may be prioritizing actions to return to normalcy, or the appearance of normalcy, in the country. This could indicate that the regime is preparing for a...

On 12 May 2022, the DPRK confirmed an outbreak of COVID-19, which is highly likely to have significant impacts on the DPRK's domestic and foreign policies.

In light of recent analyses about a possible next nuclear weapon test by the DPRK, ONN has compiled data related to each of the six previous nuclear weapon tests of the DPRK, specifically the timing of the previous tests, nuclear test site preparations, launch vehicle development, environmental fact...

The 25 April 2022 military parade of the DPRK again demonstrated the will of the DPRK to execute its 2021-2025 weapon development plan. Kim Jong Un's parade speech also signaled that the DPRK's nuclear strategy is gradually shifting from strategic deterrence to battlefield use.

The new-type ballistic missile test on 16 April 2022 is the latest indicator that the DPRK is gradually shifting towards a nuclear war-fighting strategy. In this context, the danger of an unintended nuclear war may be on the rise.

This viewbook has been prepared in anticipation of a forthcoming DPRK military parade, which will likely be held either in celebration of the 110th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il-sung or the 90th founding anniversary of the Korean People's Army. While the main focus of this viewbook is on the D...

Satellite images from 19 and 20 April suggest that the previously reported restoration activities at the DPRK's Punggye-ri nuclear test site remain ongoing.