North Korea supplied Russia with around 200 pieces of long-range artillery and could send more troops and weapons to support Moscow’s war against Ukraine, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing South Korea’s defense ministry on February 11.
The report follows an earlier assessment by South Korea’s intelligence agency, which estimated that Pyongyang had already dispatched about 11,000 troops to aid Russia, with approximately 300 killed and 2,700 wounded.
“North Korea has provided some 11,000 troops, missiles, 200 pieces of long-range artillery, and a substantial amount of ammunition,” the ministry stated during a briefing to the parliamentary defense committee. “There is the possibility of additional supplies of troops, weapons, and ammunition going forward.”
The ministry also noted that North Korea is likely to accelerate its weapons development in 2025, the final year of its five-year plan to create advanced military technologies. These include nuclear-powered submarines, spy satellites, and solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
Seoul warned that Russia could be offering technological assistance to Pyongyang in exchange for military support, specifically in the development of nuclear-powered submarines and atmospheric re-entry technology for ICBMs.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that 4,000 North Korean soldiers, out of 12,000 deployed, have been killed in battles on the Kursk front.
