'Defector Engineering Student' Park Chung-kwon: "Cannot Rule Out Possibility of North Korea Using Biochemical Weapons with Filth Balloons"

"Strategic Move to Build Justification for Large-Scale Provocation"

As North Korea once again carried out a filth balloon provocation, Park Chung-kwon, a member of the People Power Party and a defector engineer, warned that "there is also a possibility of using biochemical weapons."

Park Chung-kwon, a proportional representative elected member of the People Power Party, is giving an interview to Asia Economy at the National Assembly on the 3rd. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

At a National Assembly press conference on the 3rd, Rep. Park said, "North Korea has long operated biochemical weapons research institutes and factories, and based on my experience, it is estimated that the types, quantities, and technical aspects of biochemical weapons have become quite advanced." This suggests that North Korea may not stop at filth balloon provocations but could also engage in provocations using biochemical weapons.

Rep. Park raised three possibilities behind North Korea's continued provocations such as filth balloons, satellite navigation devices (GPS), and ballistic missile launches. The first is a strategy to attract attention; as artillery and missile provocations no longer draw South Korea’s attention and satellite launches have failed, North Korea intends to attract attention through irrational provocations. He also interpreted that the filth balloon, a low-to-mid-level provocation, could be a stepping stone to maximize the effect of future large-scale provocations and build justification.

Rep. Park also saw the possibility that North Korea might attempt hacking or manipulate public opinion on portal sites. He said, "Regarding hacking, the Kim Jong-un regime emphasizes it as an 'all-purpose sword' and is intensively training elite hacking personnel as a top-tier organization." He added, "This sword, along with nuclear weapons and missiles, is one of North Korea’s three major war tools." He further noted, "Recently, even the Supreme Court’s computer network suffered a data leak of about 1 terabyte (TB), and the exact scale of the damage cannot be estimated." He emphasized, "The North Korean hacker unit Lazarus is an organization that focuses on attacking the financial sector. It is highly likely that they will misuse stolen personal information for illegal fundraising crimes or conduct South Korea-targeted strategies against government officials."

Rep. Park appealed to the Democratic Party of Korea, urging, "Please raise your voice against the North Korean regime’s irrational provocations and join the government and ruling party’s response."