Over 130 munitions plants in North Korea

A report was released Sunday to shed light on the state of war industry in North Korea.

An article contributed to a Chinese quarterly "Study of Northeast Asia" by Han Feis, researcher of 87027 Unit of Shenyang Military District under the heading of "North Korea's Defense Industry and its Production Capacity," the author provided a detailed and comprehensive picture of North Korean munitions industry, which previously had been known to outsiders only in fragments.

According to the report, made available exclusively to Donga Ilbo, a general bureau is placed under the Second Economic Commission to take charge of planning, financing and acquisition of materials for munitions industry. There are seven machine industry bureaus in charge of manufacturing and supplying nuclear and biological-chemical weapons, missiles, submarines, aircraft and long-range missiles.

Existing under the jurisdiction of the Second Economic Commission are 130-odd munitions factories, more than 60 ordnance repair shops and parts factories, besides over 100 civilian factories that can transform into military depots at time of war.

Five factories including 1-28 and 1-25 machine shops and 26 Kanggye artillery plant in North Hamkyong Province produce missiles and related equipment. A facility for launching missiles is located at Hwadaeri.

Chemical plants at Aoji and Chongjin, Hamhung 28 Vinalon factory and six other plants are devoted to the production of chemical weapons. The Central Biological Institute, the Military Preventive Medicine Unit and Jeongju 25 Factory are equipped with facilities for turning out biological weapons.