News Story: S. Korean military to share anti-chemical expertise with OPCW members

SEOUL, Sept. 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's military unit tasked with chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) defense said Monday it will offer international training this week in partnership with a relevant global agency.

Fifteen delegates from a dozen Asian member states of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will join the five-day program to open here later in the day, according to the CBR Defense Command.

The countries include Nepal, Pakistan, Iran and the Philippines, it added.

Under the annual training program launched in 2005, an advanced member of the OPCW provides developing ones with education and technology related to the fight against possible CBR attacks.

Read the full story at YonhapNews

News Report: North Korea Poses Threat of Chemical Attack - Japan's Defense Ministry

Japan's defense minister said US deterrence was necessary for peace and stability in the region.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — The threat of chemical weapons proliferation and use is posed not only by Syria, but also by North Korea, Japan's Defense Minster Tomomi Inada said Tuesday.

"The threat of proliferation and use of weapons of mass destruction [WMD], such as nuclear weapons and chemical weapons, is not only problem of Syria. It might happen in East Asia, in North Korea," Inada was quoted as saying by the Kyodo news agency.

The defense minster added that the US deterrence was necessary for peace and stability in the region.

News Story: OPCW condemns chemical weapons use in fatal incident in Malaysia

THE HAGUE, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) executive council on Friday expressed grave concern that a chemical weapon was used in a fatal incident on Feb. 13 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

The agency called for those responsible for the use of the Schedule 1 nerve agent VX in a killing to be held accountable.

The OPCW council "unequivocally condemned the use of any chemical weapon by anyone under any circumstances as reprehensible and completely contrary to the legal norms and standards of the international community."

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Report: OPCW Ready to Assist in Probe of Kim Jong Nam's Alleged Murder

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is willing to provide its assistance in investigation of the alleged assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's half-brother using a prohibited chemical weapon, according to a statement obtained by Sputnik on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On February 13, Kim Jong Nam was killed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia. The highly toxic gas was smeared on his face as he was about to board a flight to Macau. Kim is believed to have been killed by a VX nerve agent classified by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction.

“The OPCW is ready to lend its experience and provide its technical support, if needed, to any member-state of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC),” the statement read.

Malaysia ratified the CWC, while North Korea did not sign the agreement.

South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se addressed the Conference of Disarmament in Geneva on February 28 and urged the United Nations to punish North Korea for alleged assassination of Kim, stating that Pyongyang’s possession of chemical weapons has been confirmed. However, no proof of Pyongyang’s connection to the murder of Kim has been found yet.

This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.