Report to Congress on North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons and Missile Programs

The following is the May 29, 2026, Congressional Research Service report, North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons and Missile Programs. From the Report Over the past decade, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, or North Korea) has advanced its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, which has raised the threat Pyongyang poses to the United States, U.S. allies in East Asia, and U.S. interests. In April 2026, a U.S. defense official testified that “North Korea’s nuclear forces are increasingly capable of targeting the U.S. Homeland, and its missile forces can strike South Korea and Japan with nuclear or conventional warheads.” The