Is North Korea developing chemical weapons for their nukes?

It is now general knowledge that North Korea possesses both nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles that can reach the mainland United States. While this prospect alone is terrifying, there still remains much mystery about Pyongyang's chemical weapon capabilities.

A recent report regarding a defector who was vaccinated against anthrax is alarming officials in Seoul and Washington.

The report doesn't indicate if the defector was one of four soldiers who have defected this year or if they were referring to a random civilian. It is hard to believe though that a normal civilian would be vaccinated against biological weapons when most civilians don't even get enough food in the country.

Is Kim Jong Un making bioweapons?

There have already been reports in 2017 of Kim's desire to attach chemical weapons to his intercontinental missiles. While the prospect of an explosion that also releases a bioweapon is enticing to the dear leader, the ability to do so remains in doubt. The main issue that scientists were discussing is if they had the proper technology to protect the chemicals from the intense heat from reentry into the atmosphere.

The issue seemed benign enough that not many have given it too much thought. People also thought that North Korea would never be able to develop a nuclear weapon or ICBM so doubt at your own risk.

The real question isn't if North Korea has bioweapons, but rather what is their intentions.

A likely scenario would see these weapons hurled at Seoul should war break out. It wouldn't appear that the mainland U.S. or other far away targets would be at risk, yet.

Why would a defector be vaccinated?

The best idea for why this defector was vaccinated at all would be due to his military service. It is believed that the higher ranks within Kim's regime have been vaccinated, but it is unlikely that common soldiers or civilians would receive the same luxury.

Most likely, this soldier was working directly with the chemical weapons, giving him a need to be vaccinated.

This is also a big deal for South Korea as they continue to interrogate the recent defectors. If this person was working directly with the weapons, they may be able to share some insight into the otherwise reclusive nation.

South Korea currently only carries a limited number of Anthrax vaccines. Their strategy is to treat those infected as opposed to mass vaccination to prevent it in the first place. U.S. military personnel have vaccinated their soldiers in the region and continue to do so as per normal protocol.

This type of wait and see approach from Seoul could be disastrous if the North does launch any type of chemical attack on their enemies to the South.