Subordinate to: 5th Machine Industry Bureau (第5機械産業總局), Second Economic Committee (第2經濟委員會) for chemical weapons production; and the Ministry of Chemical Industry (化學工業省) for civilian production

Size: Relatively small production capacity; about 2,500 tons annually for phenol production and an unknown capacity for iodine

Primary Function: Production of agricultural chemicals

Description: Eya Osamu, a Japanese journalist, and Kim Wŏn Pong, director of the Northeast Asia Research Institute (北東亞問題硏究所) in Japan, both report ongoing production of CW agents at the Hwasŏng Chemical Factory, including choking and nerve agents. Data are lacking, however, to substantiate this claim. The production of agricultural chemicals at this facility--while somewhat tantalizing as a possible clue--is not sufficient evidence of chemical weapons-related activities.

	Updated April 2003

Key Sources:
Kim Wŏn Pong, Kitachosenjimingun no zenbo (Tokyo: Ariadone Kikaku, 1996), p. 127; Kim Won-pong, Kitachosen jinmingun no zensho [sic] (Tokyo: Ariadone Kikaku, 1996), p. 127, in "DPRK Factories Suspected of Producing Chemical Agents," FBIS Document ID: KPP20010216000106; Osamu Eya, Kimu Jon Iru Daizukan (Tokyo: Shogakkan, 2000), pp. 64-65; Osamu Eya, Kimu Jon Iru Daizukan (Tokyo: Shogakkan, 2000), pp. 64-65, in "Alleged Locations of DPRK Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Warfare Facilities Mapped," 6 June 2001, FBIS Document ID: KPP20010606000075.