[UNOCT] US and Allies Stress Concerns Over North Korean Bioterrorism

Written by Buzzfeed

To the US and its allies, bioterrorism from North Korea is more threatening than nukes and missiles.

In a joint press release from UNOCT, which stands for the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, the US, Japan and South Korea state mutual concerns over the threat posed by the North Korean bioweapons programs. It’s indeed a worry for the three allies as they are on top of the list of North Korea's attacks -- if Kim Jong Un really intends to launch one.

Firstly, compared to terrorist groups which spread all over the world, the three countries believe that state-sponsored weapon development programmes pose a more serious threat to their national security. “ It must be remembered that the barrier of entry for bioweapon development is extremely high. An extremely high level of scientific skill is required to cultivate, and/or weaponise these reagents. Such reagents are also restricted items and would be very hard otherwise to obtain from government research institutes with high levels of security.”, according to the press release. As such, it is unlikely that terrorist groups will be more dangerous than the state-sponsored bioweapon programs. Hidden from international inspections, North Korea has long been suspected of producing chemical and biological weapons in their state-owned factories. In June 2015, Kim Jong Un inspected the Pyongyang Bio-technical Institute. Large bioreactors are spotted in the plant. These bioreactors are not cheap, and have multiple functions -- they can either be used to grow Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) bacteria, which is a insecticide used to protect crops from pests, or they can be used to grow Bacillus anthracis, which causes anthrax. 

Source: KCNA

Secondly, the three countries stand together in countering North Korea’s bioterrorism. “The three countries wholeheartedly agree on increasing border control measures against North Korea. Japan specifically proposes increased surveillance of ethnic Koreans in both Japan and South Korea, for example the Chongryon association in Japan, to prevent them acting as intermediaries for employment of these weapons.”, according to the press release. Although the US is not directly involved in this matter, the US support for increasing border control makes sense as it helps the US to minimise the risk of falling prey to North Korea’s bio-attack. In addition, the council has discussed setting up operational units to improve surveillance on the ground. The three countries can make good use of such a strategy, improving the strength of surveillance.

Lastly, it is important to note that the general direction of the discussion in UNOCT is towards establishing a universal code of conduct and encouraging joint scientific research and development. The US should be wary of totally advocating such measures. North Korea has been persistently rattling on the use of nuclear weapons, which shows its disdain for international institutions. Hence, it leads to a disturbing fact that an international check and balance would not be completely effective. Moreover, the US also needs to be careful when handling the sharing of scientific research, as certain research results may be transferred through underground channels, and to be used against the US in the end.

While North Korea is bold to boast its nuclear power on the international stage, it would be madness for Kim Jong Un to use the nuclear weapon against the US. Hidden from sight, biochemical weapons are believed to be the real bargaining chip of North Korea with the US and its allies. 

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