North Korean military factories are working at full capacity to supply shells to Russia. In exchange, DPRK receives food and other basic necessities. This was stated by South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik, Yonhap News reports, UNN reports.
While North Korea's weapons factories are operating at 30 percent capacity due to a lack of raw materials and electricity, some factories are operating at full capacity, mainly producing weapons and shells for Russia
South Korea estimates that the DPRK has shipped about 6,700 containers to Russia since the summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in September. This number of containers could hold about 3 million shells for 152-millimeter artillery or 500,000 shells for 122-millimeter artillery.
According to Shin, in exchange for the supply of weapons to Russia, North Korea apparently receives food and other basic necessities, as well as raw materials and parts used in the production of weapons.
It is estimated that the volume of containers shipped from Russia to North Korea is about 30 percent higher than the volume of containers shipped from North Korea to Russia during the same period, he said.
It seems that the largest share (of supplies from Russia - ed.) is food, which is believed to have stabilized food prices in North Korea, as well as other essential goods
According to the minister, Moscow was also likely supplying Pyongyang with satellite-related technologies, as the country launched its first spy satellite in November and promised to launch three more this year.
Although the spy satellite is already orbiting the Earth, Shin expressed skepticism about the DPRK's claim that the satellite is capable of photographing large military installations in South Korea and the United States.
"It shows no signs of functioning and is simply inactive in orbit," he said.
If Russia's dependence on North Korean ammunition and weapons continues to grow, Shin believes that the scope of Russian assistance in the field of military technology is likely to expand in the future.
"It is not yet clear to what extent Russia will offer technologies related to aircraft and ground equipment that North Korea is looking for. However, if Russia continues to receive more munitions from North Korea, the amount of technology transfer may increase," he said.
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The director of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise, Oleksandr Ruvin, previously reported that the DPRK missiles used by Russia during its strikes on Ukraine are almost identical to Russian Iskander-M missiles , although they have their own specifications.
"We can confirm several cases of Russian use of North Korean missiles. On February 14, Russia hit Ukraine with at least six such missiles. North Korea's KN-23 ballistic missiles have their own specifics and features, in particular, they fly faster than Russian missiles. But in general, they are almost the same as the Iskander-M. We found a part of such a North Korean missile after the attack on Kyiv on January 2 on Mokra Street (formerly Kudriashova Street) in Solomyansky district, where a nine-story building was damaged and four people were killed," Ruvin said.