A state researcher projects North Korea could use tactical nuclear weapons to overcome the limitations of its inferior conventional military capabilities.
 
Lee Sang-min, researcher at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses(KIDA), shared the assessment during a press event at the KIDA headquarters on Wednesday.
 
Lee told reporters that North Korea could employ tactical nuclear arms as conventional forces of South Korea and the United States are superior enough to overpower that of North Korea.  
 
The researcher said Pyongyang does not seem to have yet completed developing strategic nuclear weapons capable of hitting the U.S. mainland. He assessed that North Korea is developing both strategic and tactical nuclear weapons.
 
Lee predicted that the North will continue developing tactical nuclear weapons, which can be used for various purposes.
 
He said South Korea is calculating potential damage from North Korea’s direct use of tactical weapons on military targets such as air force bases and naval ports, calling for a high level of preparedness.