The DPRK's nuclear program is one of the longest and most secretive projects in the world. It has evolved from a peaceful atom supported by the Soviet Union to the creation of a full-fledged nuclear arsenal, which, according to various estimates, ranges from 57 to 120 warheads. History: from peaceful atom to bomb The foundation was laid in the 1950s. In 1959, the DPRK signed agreements on the peaceful use of atomic energy with the Soviet Union and China. With support from the Soviet Union, a research reactor was built in Yongbyon, and North Korean specialists underwent training in the Soviet Union. A turning point occurred in the 1980s. In 1985, the DPRK joined the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), but did so under pressure to obtain light-water reactors from the Soviet Union. However, in 1986, Pyongyang launched its own 5 MW gas-graphite reactor in Yongbyon, capable of producing weapon-grade plutonium. From this moment on, it became clear that the program had a military orientation. In the 1990s, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the loss of support, the DPRK faced the threat of regime survival. This pushed it to accelerate the development of nuclear deterrence. In 1993, the first nuclear crisis erupted when Pyongyang refused to allow inspectors from the IAEA access to its facilities and threatened to withdraw from the NPT. The crisis was temporarily resolved by the Framework Agreement of 1994, under which the DPRK froze its reactor in exchange for fuel supplies and the construction of an AES. However, the agreement collapsed in 2002. In 2003, the DPRK finally withdrew from the NPT, and in 2006, it conducted its first underground nuclear test. Since then, there have been five more tests (in 2009, 2013, twice in 2016, and in 2017), including statements about the creation of a hydrogen bomb. What is known about production today According to IAEA data, which has had no access to the country since 2009 and relies on satellite ... Read more