North Korea Sends Nearly 5 Million Artillery Shells to Russia, Says South Korean Defence Minister

North Korea has supplied Russia with approximately 10,000 maritime containers, potentially holding up to 4.8 million artillery shells, according to South Korean Defence Minister Shin Won-sik.

In an interview with Bloomberg News, Shin stated that this transfer is part of a broader effort by Russia to bolster its military capabilities amidst the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

The South Korean Defence Minister highlighted that the collaboration between North Korea and Russia appears to be intensifying, particularly in the realm of military supplies.

“It is expected that Putin seeks closer cooperation with North Korea in security matters, particularly in military supplies such as artillery shells, which are crucial for seizing the chance of victory,” Shin remarked.

Additionally, Shin noted that North Korea has dispatched dozens of ballistic missiles to support Russia’s military operations against Ukraine.

In return, Russia has provided North Korea with technologies that aid in the deployment of a spy satellite network, as well as conventional armaments including tanks and aircraft.

Reports from South Korean newspaper DongA Ilbo suggest that President Vladimir Putin is set to visit North Korea next week. This would mark his first visit since July 2000, raising concerns among the United States and its allies about the implications of such arms transfers on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the support they provide to Kim Jong-un’s regime.

This development comes as Kyiv continues to receive substantial military aid from its American and European allies.

Despite this, Russia persists with missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities, specifically targeting energy infrastructure.

The artillery shells sent by North Korea have, according to Bloomberg News, likely exceeded the quantity supplied to Ukraine by the United States and the European Union combined since Putin and Kim’s meeting in Russia last September.

This has allowed Russian forces to maintain their bombardment of Ukraine, while Ukrainian forces have had to ration their ammunition due to a blockade of aid in the US Congress.

While both Russia and North Korea deny the transfer of arms, commercial satellite imagery and intelligence provided by the US government indicate otherwise. Satellite photos reveal that Russian cargo ships frequently travel to North Korea’s port of Najin.

Most of these ships are reported to head towards the Danube, a former Soviet submarine base located about 180 kilometres away.

The White House has released images showing weapons being shipped along this route and transported by rail thousands of kilometres to a depot in Tikhoretsk, Russia, for use in Ukraine.

Earlier this year, South Korea reported that North Korea had sent around 7,000 containers filled with ammunition and other military equipment to Russia since last year.

Shin added that North Korean ammunition factories are operating at full capacity to meet Russia’s demands.

US intelligence, corroborated by satellite images, supports these claims, showing over a thousand containers of ammunition dispatched from North Korea to Russia.

This ongoing military collaboration between Russia and North Korea poses significant concerns for international security and the balance of power in the Ukraine conflict.

Background

In March, South Korea disclosed that North Korea had been consistently supplying military equipment to Russia.

This continuous flow of arms highlights a strategic alliance aimed at supporting Russia’s military campaigns, while simultaneously bolstering North Korea’s technological and conventional military capabilities.

Read also:

South Korea’s Defence Minister Reveals North Korean Munitions Factories in Overdrive, Supplying Russia

Click here for more News & Current Affairs at EU Today

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________