On January 6, North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test and claimed to have successfully detonated a miniaturized hydrogen bomb. Though numerous experts have cast doubt on this claim, there is some suspicion that the North may have tested a boosted fission device or is otherwise working toward successful miniaturization of nuclear weapons. The prospect of North Korea, now or in the future, attaining miniaturized nuclear devices raises an important question: what is North Korea’s capability to deliver a nuclear strike and what delivery systems does it possess?

The most well-known and most likely of the North’s potential nuclear delivery systems are the various ballistic missiles and rockets in its arsenal. North Korea has significantly increased its rate of testing ballistic missiles and rockets in the past few years. By developing and testing such weapons, Pyongyang is demonstrating its increasing ability to inflict serious destruction upon its neighbors and possibly even more distant powers, such as the United States.