SEOUL, South Korea—North Korea may have found a new use for its large stockpile of chemical and biological weapons, which are meant for attacking South Korean and U.S. troops in the event of another war.
Malaysian police said Feb. 24 that a chemical weapon—the toxic VX nerve agent—was used to kill the estranged half brother of Pyongyang’s absolute leader at the Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13. If North Korea’s involvement is confirmed, this would be an unusual and extremely high-profile use of its chemicals in an assassination.
Much like its secretive nuclear program, outsiders struggle to nail down exact details about the North’s chemical and biological weapons programs. Here’s what is known.
A Large Stockpile
This combination of Feb. 19, 2017, photos released by Royal Malaysia Police shows detained Indonesian suspect Siti Aisyah (L) and detained Vietnamese suspect Doan Thi Huong are displayed on a screen during a press conference at the Bukit Aman national police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Royal Malaysia Police via AP
