NORTH Korea is feared to be creating lethal viruses and bacteria as part of Kim Jong-un's biological warfare programme, according to US intelligence.
The US claims that the tyrant has added germ sprays and poison pens capable of spreading lethal diseases like smallpox and anthrax, to his already immense arsenal.
Several experts from the US State Department, who monitor foreign governments' compliance with arms regulations, have warned that these biological weapons could prove more dangerous than nukes.
The report from the US State Department reads: "The United States assesses that the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] has a dedicated, national level offensive BW [biological weapons] programme.
"The DPRK has the capability to produce biological agents for military purposes [and] the technical capability to produce bacteria, viruses and toxins that could be used as BW agents.
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"The DPRK also has the capability to genetically engineer biological products.
"Pyongyang probably is capable of weaponising BW agents with unconventional systems such as sprayers and poison pen injection devices, which have been deployed by the DPRK for delivery of chemical weapons and could be used to covertly deliver BW agents."
The report concluded that Kim Jong-un has an "offensive BW program" which is in violation of its global obligations.
US intelligence also determined that North Korea has had biological weapons in its arsenal since the 1960s - if not before.
In 2020, biological weapons expert Andrew Weber raised fears that Kim was using the global Covid-19 crisis to build biological weapons.
Weber has also previously warned that North Korea is more likely to use biological weapons than nukes.
Back in 2017, The Sun reported that North Korean chemists were thought to be weaponising some of the world’s deadliest diseases such as smallpox, Black Death, and cholera.
A report released by the Belfer Centre of Harvard University's Kennedy School at the time said that it was already known that the state had biological weapons.
The bigger concern at hand is that North Korea has the industrial facilities to mass produce these weapons, and proceed to spread them with missiles, drones, planes, and sprayers.
That report stated: “While nuclear programs can be monitored by the number of nuclear tests and the success of missile tests, weaponise and cultivating pathogens can stay invisible behind closed doors.
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“Moreover, equipment used for BW production are often dual-use for agriculture, making external monitoring and verification virtually impossible.”
Meanwhile, Kim has been test-firing rocket launchers and self-propelled artillery shells toward the Yellow Sea, whilst telling his soldiers to prepare for "actual war".
The state media added that this test-firing drill "fulfilled important military missions for war deterrence".
Kim also insisted that his military was scaling up its preparation for war so that the artillery sub-units could deliver "merciless and rapid strikes" the second war breaks out.
