Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

  • Policy Issues
    • Countries
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Non-Proliferation
    • Nuclear Security
    • Biological & Chemical Weapons
    • Defense Spending
    • Missile Defense
    • No First Use
  • Nukes of Hazard
    • Podcast
    • Blog
    • Videos
  • Join Us
  • Press
  • About
    • Staff
    • Boards & Experts
    • Jobs & Internships
    • Financials
    • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Search

North Korea

North Korea, led by the young and unpredictable Kim Jong Un, has a small but dangerous stockpile of an estimated 35 nuclear weapons and a growing arsenal of ballistic missiles.

Despite extreme international pressure and sanctions, North Korea has defiantly pursued a nuclear weapons program for decades in a self-described attempt to protect the regime from the security threats posed by adversarial countries. In 2003, North Korea withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and then tested its first nuclear weapon on October 9, 2006. It continues to build its stockpile of nuclear weapons, test short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, and produce fissile material. North Korea has not conducted a nuclear or long-range missile test since 2017.

After a period of heightened tensions between North Korea and United States, President Trump pursued unorthodox diplomatic overtures with North Korea, culminating in bilateral summits in Singapore and Hanoi in 2018 and 2019. However, these summits appeared to focus on pageantry more than substance, and relations again took a turn for the worse as no concrete progress came out of the summits.

Ignoring this problem won’t make it go away. In fact, it will make the situation worse. Working alongside allies, the United States must return to the negotiating table quickly and pursue a pragmatic, step-by-step diplomatic process that all parties can agree on to eventually reach denuclearization and establish peace on the Korean peninsula.

Factsheets
In the news
Infographics

 

Recent Analysis on North Korea

  • Tensions on the Korean Peninsula underscore the need for new negotiations June 24, 2020
  • North Korea’s “increasingly sophisticated” nuclear program threatens U.S.: DOD April 7, 2020
  • Op-ed: America Needs Immediate (Socially Distanced) Negotiations with North Korea April 2, 2020
  • World Nuclear Inventories March 10, 2020
  • North Korea is an “illegal nuclear power,” IAEA chief insists February 5, 2020
  • Citing nuclear North Korea, “Doomsday Clock” moves closer than ever to midnight January 24, 2020
  • Reciprocate U.S. calls for dialogue, ambassador to UN urges North Korea December 11, 2019
  • North Korean ballistic missile tests are very standard. Say WHAT? October 23, 2019
  • North Korean Missile Delivers a Message: There’s Little Japan Can Do October 2, 2019
  • History of U.S.-North Korean diplomacy August 16, 2019

Read more North Korea posts

Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

820 1st Street NE, Suite LL-180
Washington, D.C. 20002
Phone: 202.546.0795

Issues

  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Non-Proliferation
  • Nuclear Security
  • Defense Spending
  • Biological and Chemical Weapons
  • Missile Defense
  • No First Use

Countries

  • China
  • France
  • India and Pakistan
  • Iran
  • Israel
  • North Korea
  • Russia
  • United Kingdom

Explore

  • Nukes of Hazard blog
  • Nukes of Hazard podcast
  • Nukes of Hazard videos
  • Front and Center
  • Fact Sheets

About

  • About
  • Meet the Staff
  • Boards & Experts
  • Press
  • Jobs & Internships
  • Financials
  • Contact Us
  • Council for a Livable World
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Facebook

© 2021 Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation
Privacy Policy

Charity Navigator GuideStar Seal of Transparency