North Korea sends 200 long-range artillery pieces to Russia - Seoul
Photo: Kim Jong-un sent 200 guns to Putin (Getty Images)
North Korea has sent about 200 units of long-range artillery to Russia and is likely to send more troops and weapons to support Moscow's war against Ukraine, the South Korean news agency Yonhap News reports.
"North Korea has provided some 11,000 troops, missiles, 200 pieces of long-range artillery, and a substantial amount of ammunition, and there is the possibility of (the North) additionally supplying troops, weapons, and ammunition going forward," the South Korean Ministry said in a briefing to the parliamentary defense committee.
The Ministry also mentioned that North Korea is expected to double its efforts in weapons development this year, marking the final year of its five-year plan for developing sophisticated weapons, such as nuclear-powered submarines, spy satellites, and solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
The document raised the possibility that North Korea could receive technological assistance from Russia in exchange for military support, specifically mentioning technologies for nuclear-powered submarines and atmospheric re-entry technology for ICBMs.
Regarding North Korea's relations with the United States, the Ministry noted that Pyongyang is apparently trying to create favorable conditions for negotiations with Washington through harsh rhetoric and provocations.
North Korea did not respond to US President Donald Trump's statement about his intention to resume interaction with leader Kim Jong-un. Instead, it conducted missile tests and unveiled Kim Jong-un’s visit to a nuclear material production base, according to the Ministry.
North Korea’s involvement in war
As the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine previously reported, North Korea had sent 12,000 soldiers to the Kursk region. The losses among North Korean forces have reached 4,000. Of the three conditional brigades from North Korea, one has been essentially destroyed, and two have lost combat readiness.
The New York Times reported that North Korean soldiers were withdrawn from the frontline in the Kursk region due to heavy losses on the battlefield.
As President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on February 7, Russia had once again deployed North Korean soldiers to the Kursk region for assaults.
