The 'father' of North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile program has died.
Today (September 4), North Korean media announced that a former official who was blacklisted by the US for alleged involvement in the country's missile and nuclear technology development program has passed away.
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| Mr. Ju Kyu Chang (on the left) participated in an inspection tour with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in 2010. |
According to North Korea's state news agency KCNA, "academician and professor" Ju Kyu Chang passed away on September 3rd at the age of 89. Ju died after battling "low blood cell count," a blood disorder.
According to the obituary published by KCNA, Mr. Ju previously served as North Korea's Minister of Defense and was in charge of the country's nuclear weapons and missile development program. In the obituary, Mr. Ju was described as "an elderly revolutionary who made immense contributions to the development of the nation's defense capabilities."
Mr. Ju was one of the North Korean officials sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2013 over allegations that he played a key role in North Korea's nuclear program.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Ju supervised the launch of the Unha-2 long-range missile in 2009 alongside then-North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. He also participated in the development of the two Unha-3 long-range missiles launched in 2012 before retiring in 2015.
In recent years, North Korea's nuclear weapons development program has achieved considerable success. To date, Pyongyang has conducted six successful nuclear tests. The number of successful launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) is also significant.
Last year, leader Kim Jong-un declared that North Korea was already a nuclear power with the capability to mount nuclear warheads on ICBMs. These ICBMs are believed to have a range that could reach the East Coast of the United States.
