South Korea's intelligence is verifying information about the possible transfer by Pyongyang to Moscow of 122mm artillery shells manufactured in the 1970s for rocket launchers to be used by Russia in the war against Ukraine. Yonhap reported this.
The verification is related to recent reports in Korean media that 122mm artillery shells manufactured in North Korea in the 1970s may have been among the munitions Russia used in its war against Ukraine.
This assumption is based on an analysis of photographs by the Ukrainian side of remnants of munitions fired by Russians at Ukrainian cities, which revealed Korean letters, including the inscription "ë°©-122". According to experts, this may indicate that the fragment belongs to a 122mm multiple launch rocket system projectile (munitions of the same caliber 122mm are used by Russian MLRS "Grad" - ed.).
"The NIS is analyzing the relevant circumstance in detail and also continues to track overall military cooperation between North Korea and Russia," the Seoul intelligence agency said.
They also added that they are closely monitoring the possibility of Russia illegally supplying missile components and assemblies.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) observes the test-firing of controllable shells for a new 240mm multiple rocket launcher, in this photo carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency on May 11, 2024. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)