SEOUL: North Korea has shipped about 6,700 containers carrying tens of millions of munitions to Russia since July to help its conflict towards Ukraine, in an indication of ongoing arms transfers, South Korean media reported on Tuesday (Feb 27), citing the defence minister.
At a briefing on Monday for native media, Minister Shin Received-sik stated the containers would possibly carry greater than 3 million 152 mm artillery shells, or 500,000 122mm rounds.
“It might presumably be a mixture of the 2, and you may say that no less than a number of million shells have been despatched,” Shin stated, in accordance with the Yonhap information company.
A whole lot of North Korean munitions factories are working at round 30 per cent of their capability as a result of an absence of uncooked supplies and electrical energy, however these producing artillery shells for Russia had been working “at full swing”, he added, with out elaborating on the supply of the knowledge.
Seoul and Washington have accused Pyongyang and Moscow of buying and selling arms and condemned the North for supplying weapons to Russia to be used towards Ukraine. Each international locations have denied it at the same time as they pledged to strengthen army cooperation.
The US State Division, in a truth sheet launched on Friday, stated that North Korea has delivered greater than 10,000 containers of munitions or associated supplies to Russia since September.
In change, North Korea has obtained some 9,000 containers principally containing meals provides, which Shin stated has helped stabilise costs there.
An official at Seoul’s defence ministry stated it couldn’t affirm the numbers, however quoted Shin as saying that Russia has despatched almost 30 per cent extra containers since July to North Korea than the North has shipped.
Shin stated North Korea might fireplace one other satellite tv for pc as early as subsequent month as Moscow continued to offer technical help, and Pyongyang has additionally requested for help with plane and floor mobility gear expertise.
“It’s unclear how a lot Russia will give, however the extra dependent Russia will get on North Korean artillery shells, the larger the diploma of Russian expertise transfers can be,” he stated, in accordance with Yonhap.
