Fact Sheet

Nuclear Disarmament North Korea

Part of Nuclear Disarmament Resource Collection

Nuclear Disarmament North Korea

Arsenal and Missile Types

North Korea is a Non-NPT State with a Nuclear Weapons Arsenal

Size

  • Estimated arsenal: 50 warheads
  • First claimed to have nuclear weapons on February 10, 2005
  • Conducted the first nuclear test on October 3, 2006

Key Delivery Systems

The Defense Intelligence Agency assessed in July 2017 that North Korea had achieved the ability to miniaturize its nuclear weapons to fit on a missile.

Operational Missiles with Potential Nuclear Capability

In September 2016, North Korea claimed it had successfully built a warhead that could fit on a missile.

  • Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs): Hwasong-15, Hwasong-17, Hwasong-18, Hwasong-19
  • Intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs): Hwasong-12
  • Medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs): Pukguksong-2, Hwasong-7, Hwasong-9
  • Submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs): None thought to be operational (Pukguksong-1, Pukguksong-3 have been tested)
  • Cruise missiles: Hwasal-1, Hwasal-2

North Korea has also claimed to have tested cruise missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads.

Capabilities and Development

Nuclear Testing

  • Conducted six underground nuclear tests: 2006, 2009, 2013, two in 2016, and 2017
  • Highest explosive yield: 100-370 kilotons (kt) in September 2017 test
  • Announced a self-imposed nuclear testing moratorium in April 2018
  • Continues conducting tests of delivery systems, including ICBMs, IRBMs, SRBMs, SLBMs, and various cruise missiles

Military Fissile Material Stockpile (estimated)

  • Weapons-grade plutonium: Estimated stockpile of 66-81kg
  • Highly-enriched uranium: Estimated stockpile of 1,000-1,800 kg
  • In June 2025, the IAEA reported the construction of a suspected new enrichment facility in Yongbyon

Commitments & Policies

Disarmament Commitments

  • Acceded to the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in 1985, announced withdrawal from the NPT in 2003, the only withdrawal in NPT history
  • Has not signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT)
  • No formal commitments to disarmament

Nuclear Weapons Policies

  • North Korea repeatedly violated the NPT from its accession in 1985 until its withdrawal in 2003.
  • North and South Korea signed the 1992 Joint Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, in which both states agreed not to “test, manufacture, produce, receive, possess, store, deploy or use nuclear weapons.” On 23 January 2013, North Korea formally voided the 1992 Joint Declaration with South Korea.
  • In 2018, North Korea and the United States jointly stated, “Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
  • In 2022, the Korea People’s Assembly enacted a new law that reportedly expands the conditions under which North Korea would use nuclear weapons, including possible first use if the regime’s survival is threatened.
  • In 2023, Kim Jong Un stated that North Korea would “exponentially expand” its nuclear arsenal and “mass produce” tactical nuclear weapons.

Explore the Collection

Your are currently on

Stay Informed

Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest on nuclear and biological threats.

Sign Up

More on

Glossary

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)
The NPT: Signed in 1968, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is the most widely adhered-to international security agreement. The “three pillars” of the NPT are nuclear disarmament, nonproliferation, and peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Article VI of the NPT commits states possessing nuclear weapons to negotiate in good faith toward halting the arms race and the complete elimination of nuclear weapons. The Treaty stipulates that non-nuclear-weapon states will not seek to acquire nuclear weapons, and will accept International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards on their nuclear activities, while nuclear weapon states commit not to transfer nuclear weapons to other states. All states have a right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and should assist one another in its development. The NPT provides for conferences of member states to review treaty implementation at five-year intervals. Initially of a 25-year duration, the NPT was extended indefinitely in 1995. For additional information, see the NPT.
Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)
Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM): A ballistic missile with a range greater than 5,500 km. See entry for ballistic missile.
Cruise missile
An unmanned self-propelled guided vehicle that sustains flight through aerodynamic lift for most of its flight path. There are subsonic and supersonic cruise missiles currently deployed in conventional and nuclear arsenals, while conventional hypersonic cruise missiles are currently in development. These can be launched from the air, submarines, or the ground. Although they carry smaller payloads, travel at slower speeds, and cover lesser ranges than ballistic missiles, cruise missiles can be programmed to travel along customized flight paths and to evade missile defense systems.
Kiloton
Kiloton: A term used to quantify the energy of a nuclear explosion that is equivalent to the explosion of 1,000 tons of trinitrotoluene (TNT) conventional explosive.
Fissile material
Fissile material: A type of fissionable material capable of sustaining a chain reaction by undergoing fission upon the absorption of low-energy (or thermal) neutrons. Uranium-235, Plutonium-239, and Uranium-233 are the most prominently discussed fissile materials for peaceful and nuclear weapons purposes.
Weapons-grade material
Weapons-grade material: Refers to the nuclear materials that are most suitable for the manufacture of nuclear weapons, e.g., uranium (U) enriched to 90 percent U-235 or plutonium (Pu) that is primarily composed of Pu-239 and contains less than 7% Pu-240. Crude nuclear weapons (i.e., improvised nuclear devices), could be fabricated from lower-grade materials.
Plutonium (Pu)
Plutonium (Pu): A transuranic element with atomic number 94, produced when uranium is irradiated in a reactor. It is used primarily in nuclear weapons and, along with uranium, in mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel. Plutonium-239, a fissile isotope, is the most suitable isotope for use in nuclear weapons.
Highly enriched uranium (HEU)
Highly enriched uranium (HEU): Refers to uranium with a concentration of more than 20% of the isotope U-235. Achieved via the process of enrichment. See entry for enriched uranium.
Enriched uranium
Enriched uranium: Uranium with an increased concentration of the isotope U-235, relative to natural uranium. Natural uranium contains 0.7 percent U-235, whereas nuclear weapons typically require uranium enriched to very high levels (see the definitions for “highly enriched uranium” and “weapons-grade”). Nuclear power plant fuel typically uses uranium enriched to 3 to 5 percent U-235, material that is not sufficiently enriched to be used for nuclear weapons.
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)
The NPT: Signed in 1968, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is the most widely adhered-to international security agreement. The “three pillars” of the NPT are nuclear disarmament, nonproliferation, and peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Article VI of the NPT commits states possessing nuclear weapons to negotiate in good faith toward halting the arms race and the complete elimination of nuclear weapons. The Treaty stipulates that non-nuclear-weapon states will not seek to acquire nuclear weapons, and will accept International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards on their nuclear activities, while nuclear weapon states commit not to transfer nuclear weapons to other states. All states have a right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and should assist one another in its development. The NPT provides for conferences of member states to review treaty implementation at five-year intervals. Initially of a 25-year duration, the NPT was extended indefinitely in 1995. For additional information, see the NPT.
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT)
The CTBT: Opened for signature in 1996 at the UN General Assembly, the CTBT prohibits all nuclear testing if it enters into force. The treaty establishes the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) to ensure the implementation of its provisions and verify compliance through a global monitoring system upon entry into force. Pending the treaty’s entry into force, the Preparatory Commission of the CTBTO is charged with establishing the International Monitoring System (IMS) and promoting treaty ratifications. CTBT entry into force is contingent on ratification by 44 Annex II states. For additional information, see the CTBT.
Disarmament
Though there is no agreed-upon legal definition of what disarmament entails within the context of international agreements, a general definition is the process of reducing the quantity and/or capabilities of military weapons and/or military forces.
Deployment
The positioning of military forces – conventional and/or nuclear – in conjunction with military planning.
First-use
The introduction of nuclear weapons, or other weapons of mass destruction, into a conflict. In agreeing to a "no-first-use" policy, a country states that it will not use nuclear weapons first, but only under retaliatory circumstances. See entry for No-First-Use
Tactical nuclear weapons
Short-range nuclear weapons, such as artillery shells, bombs, and short-range missiles, deployed for use in battlefield operations.

Sources

  1. BBC News. “North Korea: What Missiles Does It Have?” September 5, 2023. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41174689.
  2. Choi, Soo-Hyang, and Hyonhee Shin. “North Korea Amends Constitution on Nuclear Policy, Cites US Provocations.” Reuters, September 28, 2023, sec. Asia Pacific. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/north-korea-parliament-amends-constitution-enshrine-nuclear-policy-kcna-2023-09-27/.
  3. Davenport, Kelsey. “Chronology of U.S.-North Korean Nuclear and Missile Diplomacy, 1985-2022.” Arms Control Association, April 2022. https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/chronology-us-north-korean-nuclear-and-missile-diplomacy-1985-2022#2005.
  4. ———. “North Korea Conducts Nuclear Test.” Arms Control Association. Accessed July 14, 2025. https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2013-02/north-korea-conducts-nuclear-test.
  5. ———. “North Korea Passes Nuclear Law.” Arms Control Association, October 2022. https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2022-10/news/north-korea-passes-nuclear-law.
  6. International Atomic Energy Agency. “IAEA Director General’s Introductory Statement to the Board of Governors.” Text. IAEA, June 9, 2025. https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/statements/iaea-director-generals-introductory-statement-to-the-board-of-governors-9-june-2025.
  7. Kristensen, Hans M., and Matt Korda. “6. World Nuclear Forces.” In SIPRI Yearbook 2025: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security, 56th ed., 177–213. SIPRI Yearbook Series. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2025. https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/YB25%2006%20World%20Nuclear%20Forces.pdf.
  8. Kristensen, Hans M., Matt Korda, Eliana Johns, and Mackenzie Knight. “North Korean Nuclear Weapons, 2024.” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 80, no. 4 (July 3, 2024): 251–71. https://doi.org/10.1080/00963402.2024.2365013.
  9. Sang-Hun, Choe. “North Korea Is No Longer Bound by Nuclear Test Moratorium, Kim Says.” The New York Times, December 31, 2019, sec. World. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/31/world/asia/north-korea-kim-speech.html.
    10. Smith, Josh. “Explainer: How Could North Korea Use Its Nuclear Weapons?” Reuters, December 21, 2023, sec. Asia Pacific. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/how-could-north-korea-use-its-nuclear-weapons-2023-12-21/.
  10. “UNTC.” Accessed July 14, 2025. https://treaties.un.org/pages/showDetails.aspx?objid=08000002801313d9.
  11. Warrick, Joby, Ellen Nakashima, and Anna Fifield. “North Korea Now Making Missile-Ready Nuclear Weapons, U.S. Analysts Say.” The Washington Post, August 8, 2017. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/north-korea-now-making-missile-ready-nuclear-weapons-us-analysts-say/2017/08/08/e14b882a-7b6b-11e7-9d08-b79f191668ed_story.html.

Close

My Resources

Subscribe to NTI

Sign up for regular updates on innovative, real-world solutions to existential threats.

Get Updates