North Korea may sell Russia new types of tactical guided missiles in addition to supplying short-range ballistic missiles for strikes on Ukraine, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said in an interview with Yonhap, UNN reports.
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South Korea's defense minister also said that the DPRK could test-fire a solid-fueled intermediate-range ballistic missile as early as this month and launch a long-range missile to heighten already high tensions ahead of key elections in South Korea and the United States.
Shin said that the weapons system unveiled during DPRK leader Kim Jong Un's visit to a munitions factory earlier this week appeared to be short-range ballistic missiles capable of carrying tactical nuclear weapons.
"North Korea test-fired a short-range ballistic missile for the first time in April 2022. This is a new type of weapon with an estimated range of 100-180 kilometers," Shin said.
Іран імовірно надасть рф вдосконалену версію безпілотників Shahed10.01.24, 12:32
The Ministry of Defense has assessed North Korea's mobile-launched missiles as short-range ballistic missiles, which are approximately 5 meters long and have a range of less than 300 km.
Shin speculated that Kim's recent visit to munitions factories could be linked to North Korea's alleged arms shipments to Russia, as the two countries strengthen their military cooperation.
"North Korea has said it will deploy short-range ballistic missiles along with its advanced troops. Given the recent arms trade, (I think) North Korea may have sold them to Russia," Shin said.
47 держав засудили постачання північнокорейських ракет росії - заява 10.01.24, 09:55
The White House recently declassified intelligence that North Korea has provided Russia with ballistic missile launchers and several ballistic missiles with a range of up to 900 kilometers.
As of the end of December, North Korea is estimated to have supplied Russia with about 5,000 weapons containers, which, according to the minister, can hold about 2.3 million 152-millimeter shells or about 400,000 122-millimeter artillery shells.
Shin expressed concern over suspicions that Russia is providing technological assistance to North Korea's weapons program in exchange for arms trade, including a spy satellite for Pyongyang.