Bechtol Jr., Bruce E

Abstract
North Korea and Syria have a long history of military cooperation. Most of this cooperation has been in the form of North Korean proliferation of weapons, training, assistance, and advisors. North Korea has assisted Syria in at least two forms of WMD—a chemical weapons program, and a plutonium nuclear weaponization program. While both of these programs have been largely destroyed, Syria will likely rebuild its chemical weapons program with North Korean assistance if not deterred by the international community. Conventional weapons are also an international security issue, as North Korea has proliferated a large number of weapons systems that have been used in the Syrian civil war by the Syrian army and Hezbollah fighters. North Korea has been a vital supporter of the Assad regime’s military throughout the Syrian civil war. Korean analysts should take note of how chemical weapons were used in the Syrian civil war because this is likely going to be a test-bed for future North Korean actions in a conflict with the South.
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