South Korean intelligence is investigating suspicions that Russia supplied North Korean weapons manufactured in the 1970s for its war in Ukraine amid deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow, according to Yonhap.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) of South Korea responded to recent local media reports that 122mm artillery shells made in the North in the 1970s appeared to be among the arms Russia used in its war against Kyiv.
"The NIS is analyzing the relevant circumstance in detail and also continues to track overall military cooperation between North Korea and Russia," the intelligence said.
South Korea's Defense Minister Shin Won-sik also estimated that North Korea sent about 6,700 containers to Russia after the September summit between their leaders, enough to accommodate around 3 million 152mm caliber shells or 500,000 122mm caliber artillery shells./
The NIS also stated that it is closely monitoring the possibility of illegal shipments of missile parts to North Korea amid concerns they may acquire such parts for developing new weapons.
Cooperation between Russia and North Korea
Recently, North Korea announced that it will start supplying its armed forces with a new 240mm multiple rocket launch system this year. There is a possibility that it will also be transferred to the Russians.
Meanwhile, it was reported that Russia secretly supplies oil to North Korea despite UN sanctions, according to the White House.
