No. 25 Factory
| Other Name: | 25호공장; February 25th Plant (2월25일공장); Cheongju No. 25 Plant (정주25호공장) 225 Plant (225 공장) |
|---|---|
| Location: | Jeongju (정주시), North Pyeongan Province (평안북도), North Korea |
| Subordinate To: | 5th Machine Industry Bureau (제5기계총국), Second Economic Committee (제2경제위원회), National Defense Commission (국방위원회) |
| Size: | N/A |
| Facility Status: | Unknown |
Following Kim Il Sung's November 1980 order to develop biological and chemical weapons, North Korea accelerated its biological weapons development by deploying special personnel to the No. 25 Factory, the Microbiological Institute (미생물연구소),and the Medical Institute (의학연구소). The No. 25 Factory is reportedly a site for biological weapons production. According to a 1992 report by South Korea's Agency for National Security Planning (국가안전기획부), North Korea produces 13 types of BW agents, such as bacillus anthracis (anthrax), cholera, typhoid bacillus and plague bacteria at the No. 25 Factory, the Party Central Biological Research Institute (당중앙생물연구소), and the Preventive Military Medical Unit (예방군사의료부대). The report says that these BW agents are sent to the Munch'ŏn Agar Factory (문천한천공장) for weaponization.
Sources:
[1] Yi Son-ho, "North Korea's Technology for the Development of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Its Ability," Pukhan, November 1998, pp. 38-51, in "Monthly on DPRK Weapons of Mass Destructio (sic)," FBIS Document FTS19981121000245;
[2] "Pukhan, Tokkasŭsegyunmugi Shilch'ŏnbaech'i/Yangsanch'eje…2 Paek 50t Poyu," Chosun Ilbo, 23 June 1990, p. 2, in KINDS, www.kinds.or.kr.
[3] "Pukhan, Saenghwagangmugi Poyu/Angimu/Kukkamjaryo/P'esŭ't'ŭ cholera Tŭng 13 Chong," Chosun Ilbo, 24 October 1992, p. 2, in KINDS, www.kinds.or.kr.
[4] Kim Wŏn Pong and Osamu Mitsuhuji, Saishin Chosenhanto Gunjijohono Zenbo (Tokyo: Kodansya, 2000) p. 52.
[5] Joseph S. Bermudez, Jr., "Exposing the North Korean BW Arsenal," Jane's Intelligence Review, August 1998, p. 29.
This material is produced independently for NTI by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has not been independently verified by NTI or its directors, officers, employees, or agents. Copyright © 2011 by MIIS.
Country Profile
North Korea
This article provides an overview of North Korea's historical and current policies relating to nuclear, chemical, biological and missile proliferation.

