North Korea has tested a new missile system that could increase its ability to attack Seoul. Kim Jong-un wants to sell the system to Russia for attacks on the territory of Ukraine.
Testing of new weapons in North Korea
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un witnessed the test of a new North Korean missile system that he said could increase their ability to attack Seoul. This system could become a weapon he seeks to sell to Russia for use in attacks on Ukraine.
According to the official Korean Central News Agency, Kim Jong-un watched the test of a 240 mm rocket salvo fire system.
According to experts, this system has a potential range of 40 to 60 kilometers. This is the second test within a year that has been reported by state media.
According to Yang Uk, a researcher at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, if these missiles are fired from the front line, North Korea can make the entire area of Seoul a firing zone.
"This will impact foreign economic relations, particularly with Russia, and will be a useful addition to the arsenal of waging war in Ukraine," he noted.
South Korea's defense minister has suggested that the latest weapons tests involving Kim could be part of a demonstration before weapons are exported to Russia for potential use by President Vladimir Putin in a war against Ukraine.
North Korea is helping Putin in the war against Ukraine
The US, South Korea and other countries have accused North Korea of sending large numbers of artillery shells as well as the latest short-range nuclear ballistic missiles that can be easily hidden and quickly deployed. Pyongyang and Moscow reject these accusations.
Russia, for its part, supplies North Korea with food, raw materials and components used in the production of weapons, noted South Korean MOD chief Shin Won-sik.
Shin added that food aid has helped Kim stabilize commodity prices. If arms shipments increase, Russia is likely to send Kim more military technology, increasing Pyongyang's threat to the region.
