North Korea's 5-year nuclear plan

[Anchor]

KBS has prepared a series of reports starting today (Jan. 26) to examine the actions of North Korea, which has nuclear weapons, in the era of Trump’s return.

Including the previously reported cruise missiles, North Korea had listed various new weapons to be developed over the next five years at the Workers' Party Congress four years ago.

This was intended to significantly enhance their nuclear capabilities, and this year marks the fifth year set as the target.

What has been completed so far and what areas will be focused on this year have been analyzed by reporter Yun Jin.

[Report]

Kim Jong-un, the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, announced a five-year plan for the development of defense science and weapon systems at the New Year’s Workers' Party Congress four years ago.

This included advanced nuclear warheads, and missiles and submarines capable of carrying and launching the warheads.

He also stated that they would develop their own reconnaissance capabilities.

This revealed their intention to possess nuclear attack capabilities against the entire U.S. mainland.

To have reconnaissance satellites that can observe the other side of the globe, they launched 'Manri-gyeong 1' into orbit in November 2023, but its performance remains unknown.

The attempt to launch 'Manri-gyeong 2' six months later failed.

North Korea, which has been working on miniaturizing nuclear weapons for easier transport, unveiled the tactical nuclear warhead Volcano-31 in 2023.

In September of last year, they showcased their production capabilities by revealing uranium enrichment facilities necessary for nuclear warheads.

Notably, the development of nuclear delivery systems is remarkable.

The new hypersonic missile launched on the 6th glides at 11 times the speed of sound at an altitude of around 40 km, which is within the range of the U.S. military base in Guam and difficult to intercept.

In October of last year, they launched the ICBM 'Hwasong-19', which recorded the highest altitude and longest flight time in history.

The solid fuel technology, which allows for shorter launch preparation times, is also considered to have matured.

However, the re-entry capability of the nuclear warhead into the atmosphere has not been verified.

They also revealed submarine-launched ballistic missiles that can be launched underwater to evade surveillance, as well as a new diesel-powered submarine to carry them, but our military assesses that normal operations would be difficult.

The slowest area of development is nuclear-powered submarines.

Analysis suggests that their success will depend on whether Russia provides technology transfer.

This year, it is expected that Chairman Kim will focus on the reconnaissance satellites and submarines, which have low completion levels among the weapons he has declared for development, while also accelerating the completion of the remaining weapon systems to enhance negotiation power with the U.S. in the second term of Trump.

This is KBS News, Yun Jin.