Image source: AsiaSociety.org
Electromagnetic pulse weapons (EMP) in North Korea are being developed with the aid of Russia, according to reports by South Korea’s spy agency.
According to details of the surveillance report published on Channel News Asia, Russian technology is being used to create electromagnetic pulse weapons [1] in order to paralyze the military electronics south of the border. North Korea has an intercontinental ballistic missile [2] (ICBM) that is capable of landing a nuclear weapon in America, according to a Washington Times report.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) stated in a government report that North Korea bought EMP weaponry from Russian in order to mimic the technology and develop their own versions of the deadly instruments. North Korea’s Kim Jong-un views cyber attacks combined with EMP missiles and nuclear weapons as an “all-purpose” attack plan, according to the NIS document. North Korea is allegedly attempting to hack into smartphones, as well.
Although it is unclear how successful Kim Jong-un’s officials have been, they are allegedly attempting to lure South Korea citizens into becoming informants. If spy claims are accurate, North Korea has been given information about the South’s chemical substances stores, transportation networks in major cities, and oil reserves. Spies from the rogue nation are also reportedly living and operating in Japan and China. The undercover agents have allegedly been tasked with distributing pro-Pyongyang propaganda. Pyongyang is the capital city of North Korea [3].
As previously reported by Off The Grid News, an EMP attack [4] could derail life as we know it in America. Either a series of short range EMP missile attacks [5] or one major explosion could take down the power grid. Unlike a lack of electricity caused by a seasonal storm or even a solar flare, an EMP attack would fry the power grid and the majority of the electronics we now heavily rely upon to accomplish even the most mundane chores.
Harness the power of the sun when the power goes out… [6]
Former CIA Director James Woolsey noted in a recent statement that North Korea is extremely dangerous, ranking it with Iran on the terrorism threat scale.
EMP weapons, at “higher energy levels,” cause massive damage to aircrafts, as well. At any given moment, there are about 1,000 planes in the American skies. An EMP attack by North Korea could down the planes, likely killing all the passengers, citizens on the ground, and create fires which would increase the death toll further.
Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano stated that a cyber attack [7] on the power grid [8] is a matter of when, not if.
“Our country will, at some point, face a major cyber event that will have a serious effect on our lives, our economy and the everyday functioning of our society,” Napolitano [7] said in comments reported by Off The Grid News. “While we have built systems, protections and a framework to identify attacks and intrusions, share information with the private sector and across government, and develop plans and capabilities to mitigate the damage, more must be done, and quickly.”
North Korea reportedly runs an “elite cyber warfare” unit that employs 3,000 staffers. A South Korea government report released in October stated that their northern neighbors initiated “thousands” of cyber attacks [9] against the country during the past several years – causing approximately $805 million in fiscal losses.
The cyber attacks reportedly targeted military facilities, government agencies, banks, and media outlets. North Korea denies the cyber warfare claims, stating that the alleged attacks are being fabricated by South Korea to increase tensions across the border.
Heritage Foundation defense and strategic analysts urged Congress to develop, test and field US defenses against EMP attacks, including enhanced ballistic missile defenses able to counter short-range missiles which carry EMP warheads. Detonating a ballistic missile with an EMP head while still at a high altitude would allow energetic particles “released during the explosion” to “disable, damage or destroy all unhardened electronic devices within the line of sight of the detonation,” the analysts said in a report.
Another excerpt from the Heritage Foundation report about an EMP attack reads:
A rogue state would not need a long-range ballistic missile to deliver a nuclear warhead. Even short-range ballistic missiles carrying an EMP device or a nuclear warhead launched from a ship off the U.S. coast could impact millions. Today, over 30 countries, including Iran and North Korea, possess ballistic missile capabilities.
How concerned are you about a North Korea EMP attack?
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