DPRK - World War III.2 - Material Support
Pyongyang, for its part, can help Russia with ammunition (primarily artillery shells) and even some types of missiles. North Korea has the most numerous artillery in the world in terms of the number of barrels - and it contains far more than 70-year-old samples. Military-technical cooperation is not the only area of interaction: very effective North Korean builders can take part in the restoration of new Russian territories.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that Russian nuclear and missile technology is currently being transferred to the DPRK in exchange for sending North Korean soldiers to participate in the war against Ukraine on Russia's side. He said this at a press conference following the meeting of ministers of NATO member countries in Brussels on 04 December 2024. "In exchange for troops and weapons, Russia provides North Korea with support for its missile and nuclear programs. These developments could destabilize the Korean Peninsula and even threaten the United States. So Russia's illegal war in Ukraine threatens us all," Rutte said.
The large number of "dud" rounds impacting during the 23 November 2010 on the ROK island Yonp’yong-do attack is interesting. MND sources state that of the 80 rounds that impacted on the island, approximately 20 (25%) (12% if the total of 170 is taken into consideration) failed to detonate. This high failure rate suggests that some DPRK-manufactured artillery munitions especially MRL rounds-suffer from either poor quality control during manufacture or that storage conditions and standards are poor.
From August 2023 to January 2024, North Korea could transfer 1.6 million artillery shells to Russia under the guise of explosives. This was reported by The Washington Post 23 June 2024 with reference to data from the Center for Advanced Defense Studies C4ADS. It is noted that according to the documentation, over 74,000 metric tons of explosives arrived from the DPRK to Russia within six months, which were distributed from two ports in the Far East of Russia to 16 locations, mainly in the western part of the Russian Federation near the border with Ukraine. According to C4ADS, Russia actually received artillery shells from North Korea. In particular, during the same period, movements of Russian ships between North Korea and Russia were recorded. As The Washington Post writes, thus the recent military agreement between the DPRK and the Russian Federation only formalized the already lively arms trade between the two countries.
Rep. Kang of the ruling People's Power Party, a member of the National Assembly's Defense Committee , said on 23 October 2024 that the Ministry of National Defense had reported to the National Assembly the results of an analysis of the weapons and other supplies that North Korea had stockpiled in preparation for a Korean Peninsula emergency , stating that the amount was enough to sustain a war for about one to three months. As Russia's invasion of Ukraine continued, North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un was deepening military cooperation with Russia, and according to a report from the Ministry of National Defense, North Korea had been exporting artillery shells and missiles to Russia , sending more than 20,000 containers through Rajin Port in the northeast by September 3034. The amount of containers is equivalent to 9.4 million 152mm shells. It was estimated that North Korea had more than 20 munitions factories capable of producing major weapons and ammunition except for fighter jets, but some factories were "underground fortified" to continue operating in the event of an emergency to avoid attacks. The report pointed out that after the invasion of Ukraine began, factories manufacturing weapons for Russia had been operating at full capacity to increase production.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a comprehensive strategic partnership on 19 June 2024 during the Russian president's first visit in 24 years to the secretive one-party state. The agreement calls for mutual assistance in the event of an attack by a third country and is intended to take cooperation between the two states to a new level. Kim said the agreement ushers in a new era, adding that their cooperation on political, military, economic, and other issues is peaceful and aimed at defending the interests of both states. "I have no doubt that it will become a driving force in the accelerated development of a new multipolar world," Kim said.
A senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said after the agreement was signed that North Korea was helping Russia kill Ukrainian civilians. "There is no doubt that North Korea is actively cooperating with Russia in the military sphere today and deliberately provides resources for the mass murder of Ukrainians," Mykhaylo Podolyak told the AFP new agency. He called for greater international isolation of both countries.
Putin had expressed gratitude for Pyongyang's "unwavering support" at the start of a summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un that began with a red-carpet welcome on June 19 as the two fiercely anti-Western leaders sought ways to boost cooperation. The Russian president's visit came as Moscow wages its prolonged war in Ukraine and both countries grapple with Western sanctions punishing aggression or, in Pyongyang's case, rogue nuclear and other weapons programs.
Putin criticized international sanctions on Pyongyang for its nuclear and missile development programs, calling them "illegitimate" and "politically motivated." In turn, Kim pledged his country's "full support and solidarity to the Russian government, army, and people in carrying out the special military operation in Ukraine to protect sovereignty, security interests, and territorial integrity." He did not elaborate.
A proxy war had begun between Russia and the United States - and in 2022 Moscow and Beijing refused to support tougher sanctions against Pyongyang in the UN Security Council. And even before that, North Korea, for its part, became one of several countries that voted against resolutions condemning Russia in the UN. And in his messages to Putin, Kim expressed support for "the struggle of the Russian people against the imperialists <...> in an effort to protect their sovereignty." South Korea, which had serious economic interests in Russia, submitted to US pressure and, unlike in 2014, imposed economic sanctions against Russia, receiving the status of an "unfriendly state." Last fall, Vladimir Putin even publicly warned Seoul that arms and ammunition supplies to Ukraine would destroy bilateral relations.
The White House announced in December 2022 that “North Korea has completed the delivery of the first batch of weapons to be used in the Ukraine war by the Russian private mercenary company Wagner Group.” Also in March 2023, it revealed new evidence that Russia was again engaging with North Korea to acquire weapons for use in the Ukraine war, pointing to Slovakian arms dealer Ashot Mkrtichev as an agent for the arms deal between the two countries.
North Korea and Russia have strongly denied the U.S. government's claims of arms deals between North Korea and Russia. “We once again make it clear that we have never engaged in arms trade with Russia and have no plans to do so in the future,” North Korea’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement released in December 2022.
In January 2023, the United States released declassified photos of wagons that were headed to Russia from North Korea and probably carried weapons for the Russian army , in particular for the Wagner PMC. In June, Kim Jong Un promised to "hold hands" with Putin and strengthen strategic cooperation between the states. Russia’s defence minister stood shoulder to shoulder with Kim on 27 July 2023 as they reviewed North Korea’s newest nuclear-capable missiles and attack drones at a military parade in the capital Pyongyang.
On August 4, the coordinator of the National Security Council of the White House, John Kirby, said that the United States has received intelligence indicating that Russia is trying to purchase a batch of shells from North Korea for use in the war against Ukraine. US President's national security advisor Jake Sullivan said that North Korea will "pay the price" if it provides Russia with weapons for the war against Ukraine.
The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Slovakian national Ashot Mkrtychev (Mkrtychev) on March 30, 2023, for attempting to facilitate arms deals between Russia and the DPRK. This is the first designation in the DPRK sanctions program in response to Russia’s attempt to secure weapons from the DPRK. Mkrtychev worked with DPRK officials in an attempt to obtain more than two dozen different kinds of weapons and munitions for Russia in exchange for materials ranging from commercial aircraft to raw materials and commodities to be sent to the DPRK. He also confirmed Russia’s readiness to receive military equipment from the DPRK with senior Russian officials.
Sanctions and export controls imposed by a coalition of over 30 countries have constrained Russia’s ability to replace lost military equipment and supplies with modern technology. At the same time, the United States and its partners are continuing to provide Ukraine with advanced weapons to defend itself against Russia’s brutal war of choice.
Between the end of 2022 and early 2023, Mkrtychev worked with DPRK officials to obtain over two dozen kinds of weapons and munitions for Russia in exchange for materials ranging from commercial aircraft, raw materials, and commodities to be sent to the DPRK. Mkrtychev’s negotiations with DPRK and Russian officials detailed mutually beneficial cooperation between North Korea and Russia to include financial payments and barter arrangements. He confirmed Russia’s readiness to receive military equipment from the DPRK with senior Russian officials.
Mkrtychev’s negotiations with those officials indicated that necessary Russian preparations for a proposed deal were complete, and that they were ready to receive materials from and transfer materials to the DPRK. He also provided DPRK officials with information from Russian officials, likely connected to his attempts to obtain military equipment for Russia from DPRK. Lastly, Mkrtychev worked with a Russian individual to locate commercial aircraft suitable for delivery to the DPRK.
Russia’s defence minister stood shoulder to shoulder with Kim on 27 July 2023 as they reviewed North Korea’s newest nuclear-capable missiles and attack drones at a military parade in the capital Pyongyang. The photographs of unmanned aerial vehicles were presented at the "Weaponry Exhibition-2023" in Pyongyang, which was attended by Sergei Shoigu and Kim Jong-un within the framework of the Russian Defense Minister's visit to North Korea. North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un showed Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu the DPRK's new unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that look like the US-made drones, according to photos presented by North Korean state-run media.
A South Korean news agency in turn referred to the photos, which "appeared to be modeled after a US MQ-9 Reaper and an American surveillance UAV RQ-4 Global Hawk attack and surveillance drone". The news agency claimed that North Korea "has even conducted test flights of the two models," noting in this regard that if the North Korean version of the RQ-4 and Seoul's Global Hawk fly simultaneously over the Korean Peninsula, they would be “identical enough to mistake the aircraft types. The photos along with a video of the drones were showcased at the "Weaponry Exhibition-2023" in Pyongyang, which was attended by Shoigu and Kim amid the Russian defense minister's three-day visit to North Korea.
Director of the Center for Military-Political Research and professor at MGIMO Alexei Ivanovich Podberezkin explained on the air of Radio Komsomolskaya Pravda why Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu went to the DPRK. In his opinion, Russia and North Korea have a huge potential for cooperation. The Koreans have a powerful army, which was created on a Soviet basis, shells and artillery systems have been accumulated, artillerymen are well trained. “The scope for cooperation is wide, from the ammunition that can come - and we need them, large-caliber, for barrels to guns. There are no problems from the point of view of logistics. The question arises - why haven't we done this before? the expert explained. He added that at one time Russia helped the DPRK, so now nothing prevents inviting volunteers from North Korea.
The first foreign visit of the Minister of Defense of Russia in the time of the SMO would in any case attract increased attention, and even the trip of Sergei Shoigu to the DPRK becomes an extraordinary event. Moreover, the reason chosen for it was more than symbolic - the celebrations on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War (or, as it is called in Pyongyang, "the victory in the Liberation War of the Korean people"). That is, a war that, having begun as an inter-Korean one, quickly developed into a battle between China and the USSR against the United States on the territory of the peninsula - and became (and remains) the bloodiest war since the Second World War.
Considering that what is happening in Ukraine is seen by many as balancing on the brink of a third world war, memories of the Russian-North Korean fighting brotherhood are no longer just a tribute to historical memory, but an urgent geopolitical issue.
North Korea leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged letters pledging to develop ties into what Kim called a “long-standing strategic relationship”. The letters marked the 78th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule, which is also celebrated as a national holiday in South Korea.
In his letter to Putin on 15 August 2023, Kim said the two countries’ friendship was forged in World War II with victory over Japan and is now “fully demonstrating their invincibility and might in the struggle to smash the imperialists’ arbitrary practices and hegemony”, state news agency KCNA said. “I am firmly convinced that the friendship and solidarity … will be further developed into a long-standing strategic relationship in conformity with the demand of the new era,” Kim was quoted as saying in the letter. “The two countries will always emerge victorious, strongly supporting and cooperating with each other in the course of achieving their common goal and cause.”
Putin, in his message to Kim, also pledged to bolster bilateral ties. “I am sure that we will strengthen the bilateral cooperation in all fields for the two peoples’ well-being and the firm stability and security of the Korean peninsula and the whole of Northeast Asia,” Putin said in a statement distributed by the Kremlin.
The United States accused North Korea of providing weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine, including artillery shells, shoulder-fired rockets and missiles. Pyongyang and Moscow have denied any arms transactions.
“Russia has lost over 9,000 pieces of heavy military equipment since the start of the war, and thanks in part to multilateral sanctions and export controls, Putin has become increasingly desperate to replace them,” said Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen. “Schemes like the arms deal pursued by this individual show that Putin is turning to suppliers of last resort like Iran and the DPRK. We remain committed to degrading Russia’s military-industrial capabilities, as well as exposing and countering Russian attempts to evade sanctions and obtain military equipment from the DPRK or any other state that is prepared to support its war in Ukraine.”
On 16 August 2023, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on three entities tied to a sanctions evasion network attempting to support arms deals between Russia and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The entities are Limited Liability Company Verus (Verus), Defense Engineering Limited Liability Partnership (Defense Engineering), and Versor S.R.O. (Versor). Ashot Mkrtychev is the President of Versor, the founder and owner of Verus, and the sole director of Defense Engineering.
This action is part of the continuing U.S. strategy to identify, expose, and disrupt third-country actors seeking to support Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine. As Russia has continued to expend munitions and lose heavy equipment on the battlefield, it has been increasingly forced to turn to its few allies, including the DPRK, to sustain its unprovoked war in Ukraine. To date, Treasury has sanctioned hundreds of individuals and entities involved in circumventing the international sanctions regime on Russia.
“The United States continues to root out illicit financial networks that seek to channel support from North Korea to Russia’s war machine,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson. “Alongside our allies and partners, we remain committed to exposing and disrupting the arms trade underpinning Putin’s brutal war in Ukraine.”
On September 10, in a message on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the DPRK, Putin said that he seeks to build stronger ties with North Korea "on all fronts." On October 13, the United States reported that it has data on the transfer of 1,000 containers of military equipment to Russia by North Korea.
The White House on 13 October 2023 accused North Korea of shipping weapons to Russia, near the Ukraine border. Its claims are based on an image released Friday showing a shipment from an ammunition depot in North Korea, or DPRK, that was loaded onto a Russian-flagged ship before being moved by rail to a depot along Russia's southwestern border. The delivery took place between Sept. 7 and Oct. 1, the U.S. said. "We condemn the DPRK for providing Russia with this military equipment, which will be used to attack Ukrainian cities, kill Ukrainian civilians, and further Russia's illegitimate war," National Security Council Director of Strategic Communications John Kirby said.
Kirby disclosed that in recent weeks, North Korea had provided Russia with "more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions." He said that the U.S. believes Kim Jong Un is seeking sophisticated Russian weapons technologies in return for the munitions to boost North Korea's military and nuclear program. "This expanding military partnership between the DPRK and Russia, including any technology transfers from Russia to the DPRK, undermines regional stability and the global non-proliferation regime," Kirby warned.
He noted that Washington is in lockstep with allies and partners to counter arms deals between Russia and North Korea by sanctioning individuals and entities working to facilitate such arms deals. "We will not allow the DPRK to aid Russia's war machine in secret, and the world should know about the support that Russia may again provide the DPRK in return," Kirby said.
Coordinator Kirby emphasized, “We condemn North Korea for providing Russia with military equipment that will be used to attack Ukrainian cities, massacre civilians, and further escalate Russia’s illegal war,” and “We will continue to monitor additional North Korean weapons shipments to Russia.”
Coordinator Kirby also made it clear that he was continuing to monitor the possibility that Russia might provide North Korea with quid pro quos in return for providing such military equipment. “We are also increasingly concerned about Russian assistance to the DPRK. In return for its support, we assess that Pyongyang is seeking military assistance from Russia including fighter aircraft surface to air missiles, armored vehicles, ballistic missile production equipment or other materials and other advanced technologies. We are monitoring closely whether Moscow will provide Pyongyang with these materials. And we have already observed that Russian ships offloading containers in the DPRK which may constitute the initial deliveries of material from Russia.” “We are also increasingly concerned about Russia’s support for North Korea,” Kirby said. “We assess that North Korea seeks military assistance from Russia in return for its support, including fighter aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, tanks, ballistic missile production equipment, and other materials and advanced technology.”
“We are closely watching whether Russia will provide these materials to North Korea,” he said. “We have already seen Russian ships unloading containers in North Korea, which may be part of the initial shipments that have been delivered from Russia.”
Coordinator Kirby pointed out that the expansion of military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, including technology transfer, undermines regional stability and the international nonproliferation regime, and he repeatedly emphasized that the United States is taking various measures in response together with its allies and partners. He then recalled that the United States imposed sanctions on individuals and entities in March, July, August, and September in connection with arms trade with North Korea. He added, “We believe that existing sanctions have been appropriate, and we will impose new sanctions on those who facilitate arms trade between North Korea and Russia.”
Coordinator Kirby “We will enforce those current sanctions were appropriate and we will impose new sanctions against those who are seeking to enable these arms deals between the DPRK and Russia. Second, these arms transfers directly violate a series of UNSC resolutions which is why we will continue to aggressively raise these arms deals at the UN alongside our allies and partners. Third, we will continue to expose these arms deals as we are doing with you today. Because we will not allow the DPRK to aid Russia’s war machine in secret.” He also made it clear that “these arms transfers are a direct violation of a series of UN Security Council resolutions,” and that “we will continue to actively raise the issue of these arms trade at the UN with our allies and partners.” He also stressed that “we will continue to expose these arms deals because we will not allow North Korea to secretly provide weapons for Russia’s war effort.”
On 01 November 2023, South Korean intelligence indicated that the DPRK had sent more than a million artillery shells to the Russian Federation for the war against Ukraine since August. The United States accused North Korea of supplying Russia with a “significant” number of artillery shells to be used in Ukraine, as Moscow increasingly looks to allies for help with the war effort. US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on 02 November 2022 that the alleged North Korean weapon shipments are unlikely to change the course of the conflict, stressing Western efforts to support the Ukrainian military. “Our indications are that the DPRK is covertly supplying, and we are going to monitor to see whether the shipments are received,” Kirby told reporters.
On December 21, US Ambassador to NATO Julian Smith emphasized that the Americans have data, confirmed by satellite images, that the DPRK delivered to Russia a thousand containers with military equipment and shells.
On January 11, 2024, Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin confirmed that Russia used missiles from North Korea against Ukraine. On March 18, it became known that the DPRK sent 7,000 containers of ammunition and other military aid to Russia. In June, Bloomberg, citing the defense minister of South Korea, wrote that North Korea sent at least 10,000 shipping containers to Russia, which can hold almost 5 million artillery shells.
Several factories in North Korea altered their production processes to quickly churn out 152-millimeter artillery shells, officials in the country told Radio Free Asia 29 July 2024, but they did not know whether the ammunition was going to Russia for use in its war with Ukraine. “Key officials at the factory do not know whether the 152 mm artillery shells produced here are intended to support Russia,” an official at a factory in the northern province of Ryanggang told RFA Korean on condition of anonymity for security reasons. “However, considering the production process was urgently prepared immediately after Kim Jong Un’s visit to Russia, it is assumed that it is for the purpose of supporting Russia,” he added.
South Korean Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik said in an interview with Japan’s Yomiuri News on 24 July 2024, “North Korea-Russia arms trade began in earnest around the visit of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to Russia in September last year.” He also said that the ministry believes that the containers transported from North Korea to Russia as of July 15 contained 5.2 million rounds of 152-millimeter artillery shells, and dozens of short-range ballistic missiles.
North Korean export of munitions would be a violation of international sanctions meant to prevent Pyongyang from funneling resources into its nuclear and missile programs, but the South Korean ministry of defense believes this has already begun.
Shortly after Kim’s trip, several factories that normally make other kinds of ammunition were converted to make 152-millimeter artillery shells, the North Korean officials said. “The forestry machinery branch factory, located in the valleys of Wangdok, Komsan-dong, Hyesan City has been producing 152-millimeter artillery shells since the beginning of this year,” a second Ryanggang official told RFA on condition of anonymity to speak freely. “The goal is to produce 6,000 shells per month, but the target amount has not yet been reached.”
He said that the factory was already making mortar shells, but the change in the production process occurred as soon as Kim returned from Russia last year. “A new 152-millimeter shell production process was installed in the basement where mortar shells were produced,” he said. “The entire artillery shell production process was completed in less than two months, and test production was successfully carried out at the end of December, before the new year.”
The factory is on the same electrical grid as the city of Samjiyon, but at times where that city experiences rolling blackouts, the factory continues to be supplied. However, the factory has failed to hit shell production targets because raw materials are not supplied consistently, he said. “The materials needed to produce artillery shells come from China, not Russia,” said the second official, adding that nobody knows how the supplier gets the materials, like special alloys needed to make the shells.
The first official confirmed that another factory in the province changed its process to produce shells. “Along with the Hyesan Forestry Machinery Branch Factory, the 915 Factory has also been producing 152 mm artillery shells starting this year,” he said. The shells produced in Ryanggang are then sent to an agricultural machinery factory in the northeastern province of North Hamgyong to be made into finished products, he said.
On 16 May 2024, the United States announced sanctions on two Russian individuals and three Russian companies for facilitating arms transfers with Pyongyang. U.S. Treasury officials said in a statement that the two countries had strengthened their military cooperation over the past year, with the North providing ballistic missiles and munitions to Russia in return for weapons and economic aid.
On May 17, 2024, Australia imposed targeted sanctions against entities linked to the unlawful weapons trade between North Korea and Russia. “Australia is imposing targeted financial sanctions, in coordination with international partners, on a further six entities associated with North Korea’s supply of arms and related materiel to Russia,” said Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong in a statement. “Australia condemns, in the strongest possible terms, North Korea’s illegal export and Russia’s procurement and use of North Korean ballistic missiles, in support of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.”
Japan and South Korea separately imposed sanctions on individuals and entities involved in the arms trade between North Korea and Russia, they announced on 24 May 2024, the latest steps aimed at ending help for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The announcements follow similar steps by the US and Australia. Japan said it would impose sanctions on 11 organizations and one individual for their involvement in military cooperation between the two countries. “Amid Russia’s prolonged aggression in Ukraine, we have decided to freeze the assets of organizations and individuals involved in military cooperation between North Korea and Russia,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said during a regular press conference.
“The transfer of North Korean weapons to Russia is a violation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions that prohibit the transfer of North Korean weapons and related materials,” Hayashi said, adding that the supply “could further aggravate the situation in Ukraine.” The sanctions were imposed in co-operation with the United States, he said.
Separately, South Korea announced sanctions on North Korean individuals and Russian vessels for arms trading. “Seven North Korean individuals and two Russian vessels have been designated for independent sanctions for their involvement in the provision of materials and financing for North Korea’s nuclear and missile development,” South Korea’s foreign ministry said.
The sanctioned entities were also involved in the transport of munitions and the arms trade between Russia and North Korea, the import of refined oil from North Korea, and the earning of foreign currency by North Korean overseas workers, it added. The ministry reiterated its call for an immediate end to illegal military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.
“Military cooperation, including the Russian-North Korean arms trade, is a clear violation of Security Council resolutions and seriously threatens peace and stability not only on the Korean Peninsula but also in Europe and around the world,” it said. “The measures were taken in close coordination with friendly countries and will contribute to further tightening the international community’s sanctions network,” it added. Prior authorization will be required for financial and foreign exchange transactions with individuals on the sanctions list. For ships, they must obtain permission from the administration to enter South Korea.
In late July 2024 footage from a Ukrainian drone captured an unusual piece of equipment in the service of the Russian Armed Forces in the Kharkiv area appeared online. Visually, the machine strongly resembles a long-range Bulsae-4 anti-tank missile system manufactured by the DPRK. The complex is mounted on the chassis of a three-axle armored personnel carrier and is equipped with eight guides for anti-tank missiles with a range of up to 25 km. Characteristically, the guidance is carried out via fiber-optic cable - this allows for high noise immunity. This was the first documented episode of use of such foreign-origin complexes by Russian troops since the beginning of the special military operation. Previously, there was evidence of using only various foreign munitions from artillery shells to drones.
The Russian Armed Forces already managed to destroy several targets with the North Korean anti-tank missile system, including a British AS-90 howitzer as part of counter-battery warfare. At the same time, several other objective control videos indirectly indicate that Bulsae-4 was used to strike targets in Kharkiv. Their appearance on the front line is a long-awaited and fully justified step. Russia had no analogs of such complexes with optical-electronic guidance by cable, and these machines allow closing a certain gap in the means of high-precision fire defeat in the 20 km zone in addition to the existing ones.
North Korea may have supplied Russia with up to 5.2 million 152mm artillery shells. In an interview 08 August 2024 with Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, South Korean Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik said that 11,000 containers, enough for 5.2 million 152mm shells, had been shipped to Russia to date. This is a significant increase over what wase previously disclosed, and speaks to a sustained supply that should be expected to continue.
North Korea has supplies Russia with another 1000 containers of ammunition. The new figure of 5.6mln 152mm shells was provided 08 August 2024 by the South Korean Minister of National Defence in an interview with Reuters. He said if Russia crosses a red line (transfer of technology linked with intercontinental ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons, anti-air weapons, radars, tanks and fighter jets) then South Korea would give further consideration to arming Ukraine with lethal weapons.
The growing support from North Korea for Russia's war efforts in Ukraine marked a critical juncture in the conflict. This alliance not only alters the immediate balance of power on the battlefield but also has far-reaching implications for global security, diplomatic relations, and the future of international conflict resolution. As the international community grapples with this new reality, the need for innovative approaches to deterrence, diplomacy, and conflict management has never been more pressing. DPRK has significantly boosted its economy and made Kim’s regime stronger as a result of delivering military equipment to the Russian Federation. This was reported by Bloomberg 26 July 2024. “North Korea’s economy roared back to life as arms transfers with Russia provided support for Kim Jong Un’s regime, allowing the leader to shun diplomacy as he ramped up his threats against the US and South Korea,” reads the article. According to the media, citing South Korea’s central bank, North Korea’s GDP increased by 3.1% in 2023 compared to 2022, This is the biggest growth since 2016.
In early November 2024 the DPRK sent about 50 M1989 Koksan self-propelled guns to the Russian Federation. In addition, North Korea also sent 20 more modernized 240mm multiple rocket launcher systems to Russia.
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