North Korea sent more artillery systems in new arms shipment to Russia, South Korea says

North Korea sent much artillery systems to Russia successful a caller shipment of conventional arms, South Korea’s spy bureau told lawmakers connected Wednesday.

Pyongyang exported 170mm self-propelled guns and 240mm aggregate rocket motorboat systems to assistance the Russian warfare effort successful Ukraine, the National Intelligence Service said successful a briefing, according to lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun who was successful attendance.

According to a Ukrainian quality appraisal from Saturday, Russia received astir 50 self-propelled howitzers and 20 aggregate motorboat rocket systems from North Korea.

The Russian subject did not run these types of artillery systems, Mr Lee said, truthful North Korea apt besides sent trainers along.

Seoul’s latest claims astir Pyongyang’s involvement successful the Ukraine war came lone a week aft Russian societal media circulated pictures purportedly showing North Korean ”Koksan” 170mm self-propelled guns arriving successful the state by rail.

Mr Lee besides said that determination were astir 10,900 North Korean soldiers successful Kursk, warring alongside Russian airborne troops and marines to repel a Ukrainian penetration of the borderline portion launched successful August.

Russia and North Korea signed a communal defence pact during president Vladimir Putin’s sojourn to Pyongyang earlier this twelvemonth that obligates each to unreserved to the other’s assistance successful the lawsuit of an attack.

Intelligence assessments from Washington, Seoul and Kyiv successful the past fewer weeks said North Korea was profoundly progressive successful the war, which conscionable passed 1,000 days, with its soldiers reported to beryllium warring Ukrainian troops.

North Korean overseas curate Choe Son Hui’s gathering with Mr Putin successful Moscow earlier this period perchance laid the groundwork for a sojourn by Kim Jong-un, different lawmaker, Park Sun-won, quoted the spy bureau arsenic reporting.

The lawmaker further said the spy bureau was ascertaining North Korean unit losses and surrenders successful Ukraine amid conflicting information.

North Korea’s alleged engagement successful the Russian warfare effort has sparked furious responses from Kyiv’s allies successful Europe and the US. Using North Korean soldiers showed that Mr Putin was not person to winning the warfare but acceptable to escalate it, said Austrian overseas curate Alexander Schallenberg.

The authorisation by US president Joe Biden for Ukraine to use American missiles similar ATACMS to deed deeper wrong Russia is besides claimed to beryllium a response to North Korea’s decision to nonstop soldiers.

Analysts, however, said the determination would person constricted interaction connected the war. “To truly enforce costs connected Russia, Ukraine would request ample stockpiles of ATACMS, which it doesn’t person and won’t person due to the fact that the United States’ ain supplies are limited,” said Jennifer Kavanagh, manager of subject investigation astatine Defence Priorities.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said the rockets would talk for themselves. “Today, galore successful the media are talking astir the information that we person received support to instrumentality due actions,” helium said. “But blows are not inflicted with words. Such things are not announced,” helium said of the announcement.”