While the world worries about North Korea’s nuclear capabilities, a new threat from the hermit kingdom is emerging — anthrax-shooting terror drones.
Yonhap reports:
A South Korean state-run think tank reported Wednesday North Korea is presumed to possess about 1,000 drones, raising concerns they could be used for airborne terror attacks.
North Korea is focusing on developing drones in a bid to make up for the inferiority of the country’s air forces and better conduct reconnaissance, Chung Ku-youn, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said in a report.
“North Korea’s air forces are inferior to its South Korean counterpart and an absence of military satellites is making it difficult for Pyongyang to reconnoiter (the South),” the report said.
Chung expressed concerns about North Korea’s possible use of drones for terrorist attacks or provocations.
North Korea may seek to put chemical or biological weapons on drones to carry out far-away attacks, the report said.
North Korea is presumed to possess about 25 chemical agents including six nerve agents such as sarin and VX, according to a 2016 report by the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses. The country is not a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Pyongyang is estimated to also have 13 types of pathogens such as anthrax and clostridium botulinum that can be used as biologic weapons, it said. In 1987, the country became a signatory to the Biological Weapons Convention.
This story comes on the heels of North Korea conducting another missile engine test.
FOX reports:
US officials believe North Korea nuclear test is imminent
North Korea tested a rocket engine for the third time this month — and like the previous two tests, it showed signs the rogue nation’s missile capabilities were improving, a U.S. official confirmed Tuesday to Fox News.
None of the three rocket tests ended in an embarrassing explosion, showing the secretive regime has made progress, the official said. The test did not demonstrate any new capabilities.
The Pentagon continues to see signs North Korea is edging closer to conducting another nuclear test, following two successful tests last year.
North Korea conducted the latest test last Friday night, Reuters reported, adding that Kim Jong Un’s regime could use the engine in an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM.
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