South Korea’s defense chief, Shin Won-sik, revealed that North Korean munitions factories are running at full capacity, supplying weapons to Russia in exchange for essential resources, including food. This comes amid concerns about North Korea supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine while facing shortages due to delayed Western military aid.
Shin stated that despite North Korea’s overall arms production operating at 30 percent capacity due to material and power shortages, specific factories are working at full capacity, producing weapons and shells for Russia. Since the summit between Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin in September, North Korea is estimated to have shipped about 6,700 containers to Russia, equivalent to approximately 3 million rounds of 152 mm artillery shells or 500,000 of 122 mm artillery shells.
In return for supplying weapons, North Korea is reportedly receiving food, raw materials, and components for weapons manufacturing from Russia. The volume of containers from Russia to North Korea is presumed to be 30 percent larger than the shipments going in the opposite direction.
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Shin noted that the primary items in the shipments from Russia are believed to be food, stabilizing food prices in North Korea. He also mentioned that Moscow might have provided satellite-related technology to Pyongyang, as evidenced by North Korea launching its first spy satellite in November.
However, Shin expressed skepticism about the satellite’s capabilities, stating that it shows no signs of functioning or activity. He suggested that if Russia’s reliance on North Korean munitions increases, the scope of military technology assistance from Russia to North Korea could broaden in the future, including potential transfers related to aircraft and ground equipment.
