North Korea attempted to tested its first nuclear device on October 16, 2006. The explosion yield was less than a kiloton.” At such a low yield, the international community labeled the North’s test a failure. On February 12, 2013, North Korea probably carried out an underground nuclear explosion with a yield of approximately several kilotons. They have since conducted three more nuclear tests.
Unverified, but recent estimates suggest that North Korea possesses enough fissile material for 10-16 nuclear weapons.
Land-based ballistic missiles
ICBMs (5,500+ km range)
| Type/Name |
Range (km) |
Payload × Capacity (kg) |
Launchers |
| (Bukkeukseong-3) |
? |
1 × ? |
TEL (C) |
| Hwasong-15 / KN-22 |
13,000 |
1 × 1,000? |
TEL |
| Hwasong-14 / KN-20 |
10,400 |
1 × ? |
TEL |
| Hwasong-? / KN-14 |
(9,000) |
1 × ? |
TEL |
| Hwasong-13 / KN-08 |
5,500+ |
1 × ? |
TEL |
| Taepo Dong-2 |
12,000+ |
1 × 800+ |
Fixed |
IRBMs (3,000–5,500 km range)
| Type/Name |
Range (km) |
Payload × Capacity (kg) |
Launchers |
| Hwasong-12 / KN-17 |
3,300–4,500 |
1 × 1,000 |
TEL |
| Hwasong-10 / Musudan, BM-25 |
3,000+ |
1 × 1,000 |
<50 TEL |
MRBMs (1,000–3,000 km range)
| Type/Name |
Range (km) |
Payload × Capacity (kg) |
Launchers |
| Bukkeukseong-2 / KN-15 |
1,000+ |
1 × ? |
TEL (C) |
| Hwasong-7 / Nodong |
1,200+ |
1 × 1,000 |
<100 TEL |
| Hwasong-9 / Scud ER, KN-4 |
1,000 |
1 × 500 |
TEL |
Submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs)
| Type/Name |
Range (km) |
Payload × Capacity (kg) |
Launchers |
| Bukkeukseong-1 / KN-11 |
(1,000+) |
n.a. |
(1) SSB |
Source: Bulletin of Atomic Scientists and Federation of American Scientists