A North Korean soldier stands next to a map of the Korean Peninsula at the Demilitarized Zone | Image: NK News (Jan. 11, 2022)
For reasons that remain unclear, North Korea has yet to conduct its much-anticipated nuclear test. But when it does, most analysts expect a test of a tactical nuclear weapon, a capability that raises anew the question of Pyongyang’s ultimate military goals.
Most likely, the DPRK seeks low-yield tactical nuclear weapons in order to neutralize the serious military advantages the South Korean army has. The nuclear devices that North Korea has tested so far are far too powerful and destructive for use in actual combat, but tactical weapons would bring Pyongyang one step closer to realizing its old dream of subjugating the South and bringing the peninsula under Kim family control.
For reasons that remain unclear, North Korea has yet to conduct its much-anticipated nuclear test. But when it does, most analysts expect a test of a tactical nuclear weapon, a capability that raises anew the question of Pyongyang’s ultimate military goals.
Most likely, the DPRK seeks low-yield tactical nuclear weapons in order to neutralize the serious military advantages the South Korean army has. The nuclear devices that North Korea has tested so far are far too powerful and destructive for use in actual combat, but tactical weapons would bring Pyongyang one step closer to realizing its old dream of subjugating the South and bringing the peninsula under Kim family control.
Get the Daily Update
Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most –
Andrei Lankov is a Director at NK News and writes exclusively for the site as one of the world's leading authorities on North Korea. A graduate of Leningrad State University, he attended Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung University from 1984-5 - an experience you can read about here. In addition to his writing, he is also a Professor at Kookmin University.