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Kim Jong Un Bloomberg reported that he was overseeing tests for a missile that could hit Seoul, South Korea.
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The missile could support Russia in the war against Ukraine.
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Russia and North Korea have previously denied reports of an arms deal between the two nations.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the second series of tests for a new missile that could be used to attack Seoul, South Korea, and help Russia in its war against Ukraine.
The 240-millimeter multiple rocket launcher has an estimated range of between 40 and 60 kilometers, or about 25 to 37 miles, and is capable of bringing about “a strategic change in strengthening the artillery forces of the Korean People’s Army,” according to a Korean report Central News Agency, quoted by Bloomberg.
According to the defense and security agency Army Recognition, the weapon was tested back in February this year.
“North Korea can bring the entire Seoul region within its firing range if these missiles are fired from the front,” Yang Uk, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, told Bloomberg.
“It could be important for the export market, for example for Russia, and it could be a useful weapon for the war in Ukraine,” he said.
Speaking to NK News in February, Yang said the threat from these missiles was low compared to the other weapons the North Korean military has already received, including KN-23 short-range missiles and 600mm artillery systems, it said a portion of the cited article by Army Recognition.
“North Korea’s attempt to portray its new system as a guided missile does not significantly increase the threat,” Yang said.
Simon Miles, an assistant professor at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy, told Business Insider that it would “make perfect sense” for North Korea to develop this type of missile and sell it to the Kremlin, even if the quality is not as high as others that the country has produced.
“The quality will be low, but probably ‘good enough’ for Russia’s purposes if they buy it, and I bet the price will be attractive,” said Miles, a historian of the Soviet Union and U.S.-Soviet relations , to BI.
Russia and North Korea have previously denied that there is an arms trade between the two countries. Still, both U.S. and South Korean officials have accused North Korea of providing weapons to Russia in exchange for food, economic aid and military aid, AP News reported.
South Korea’s defense minister said in March that North Korea had shipped an estimated 7,000 containers of ammunition and other military equipment to Russia since 2023, the source added.
Business Insider reported in October that North Korea was on track to become “one of Russia’s most significant foreign arms suppliers.”
Meanwhile, the US Congress this week approved a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine after months of opposition. Experts say future U.S. support is not guaranteed as the country prepares for general elections.
Kelly Grieco, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, said at a recent panel on defense priorities: “Everyone involved in this conflict should treat this aid package as if it were the last and plan accordingly, because it could be.”
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