South Korea says Russia supplied air defense missiles to North Korea in return for its troops

By HYUNG-JIN KIM and KIM TONG-HYUNG, Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Russia has supplied aerial defence rocket systems to North Korea successful speech for sending its troops to enactment Russia’s warfare efforts against Ukraine, a apical South Korean authoritative said Friday.

The U.S., South Korea and Ukraine accidental North Korea sent much than 10,000 troops to Russia successful October, immoderate of whom person precocious begun engaging successful combat connected the beforehand lines. North Korea’s troop deployment threatens to escalate the war, and what Russia could springiness to the North successful instrumentality has been a root of rampant planetary speculation.

The astir alarming improvement for South Korea and the U.S. would beryllium Russia transferring blase weapons technology that tin heighten North Korea’s nuclear-capable missiles targeting its rivals. Many experts say, though, that it is improbable Russia would bash this successful the archetypal signifier of the North’s unit deployment.

Shin Wonsik, nationalist information advisor for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, told an SBS TV programme Friday that South Korea has recovered Russia provided missiles and different instrumentality to assistance it reenforce its aerial defence web for Pyongyang, the capital. Shin didn’t accidental what circumstantial missiles Russia gave to North Korea.

South Korea’s National Security Director Shin Wonsik delivers a code astatine a league successful Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Shin Hyun-woo/Yonhap via AP)

Lee Illwoo, an adept with the Korea Defense Network successful South Korea, said that Russia has apt sent S-400 long-range surface-to-air missiles, launchers and ground-based radar systems. He said that North Korea is susceptible of gathering shorter-range surface-to-air missiles connected its own.

The S-400 missile, with a scope of 250 miles, is considered 1 of Russia’s astir precocious anti-aircraft weapons. But Lee questioned however importantly it tin boost Pyongyang’s aerial defense, saying Russian aerial defence systems person failed to efficaciously woody with Ukrainian drone assaults.

Many observers accidental North Korea has apt felt the urgent request to boost its aerial defence capabilities aft it past period accused South Korea of flying drones to scatter propaganda leaflets implicit Pyongyang. North Korea threatened to instrumentality subject enactment if leaflets were again dropped. South Korea’s subject has refused to corroborate whether oregon not it was down the alleged drone flights.

Kim Dae Young, a subject adept astatine the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, said it’s imaginable that the aerial defence systems North Korea acquired from Russia could see counter-drone equipment.

Kim said that Pyongyang’s outdated aerial defence strategy would request years of betterment and perchance immense outer assistance to header with the superior aerial forces of South Korea and the United States.

Shin said Russia has besides appeared to person fixed economical assistance to North Korea and assorted subject technologies, including those needed for the North’s efforts to physique a reliable space-based surveillance system. Shin didn’t accidental whether Russia has already transferred delicate atomic and rocket technologies to North Korea.

During a acme with North Korean person Kim Jong Un past year, Russian President Vladimir Putin already said that Moscow was consenting to assistance the North physique satellites. North Korea enactment its archetypal spy outer into orbit successful November past year, but overseas experts question whether that outer tin nutrient militarily meaningful imagery. The North’s effort to motorboat a 2nd spy outer failed successful May.

North Korea and Russia person been sharply boosting their subject and different practice successful the look of abstracted confrontations with the U.S. and its allies. Last month, South Korea’s spy bureau said that North Korea had sent much than 13,000 containers of artillery, missiles and different conventional arms to Russia since August 2023 to replenish its dwindling weapons stockpiles. The National Intelligence Service said Wednesday that North Korea had precocious sent additional artillery systems to Russia.

Earlier this week, North Korea and Russia reached a caller statement for expanding economical cooperation pursuing high-level talks successful Pyongyang this week, according to the countries’ state-run media.