Pariah Supplier: The Weapons North Korea May Provide To Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visit the Vostochny Сosmodrome in Russia's Far East on September 13. 

The meeting came as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues to burn through the Kremlin’s arsenal and a month after Kim called on his country’s weapons makers to “dramatically increase” production. 

Kim and Putin shake hands during the September 13 meeting. 

Putin all but confirmed he would be seeking an arms deal with North Korea, responding to one question about military cooperation by saying, "We will talk about all issues without a rush. There is time." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on September 12 that “naturally, being neighbors, our countries cooperate in certain sensitive spheres which should not be publicly revealed or announced."

 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (second right) stands alongside short-range ballistic missile launch vehicles in a photo released on August 14.

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has resulted in thousands of Moscow's tanks and armored vehicles being destroyed or captured. The Kremlin has also lost at least hundreds of rocket artillery and other weapons systems, as well as scores of fighter jets and helicopters. Kyiv has faced similarly staggering equipment losses, relative to the size of its military, but has thus far been supported with billions of dollars worth of Western military hardware.

 

A photo released in March 2016 shows an artillery drill on a beach in North Korea.

The administrator of the popular weapons tracking account Calibre Obscura told RFE/RL the Kremlin is meeting with Kim, the gatekeeper of a significant arsenal, because “it may be becoming clear that Russian domestic [arms] production is insufficient for the war, and it may be very difficult or take time to scale up.”

A rocket test in North Korea in March.

Russia’s military budget for 2023 reportedly spiked to more than $100 billion, making up a third of all state spending, but its ability to produce armored vehicles and munitions are currently far below the numbers being lost in Ukraine. In 2022, Russia is estimated to have fired more than 10 million artillery shells on the battlefield. The country is reportedly capable of producing a maximum of some 2 million artillery rounds per year.

 

The Pon'gae 5, a North Korean-made surface-to-air missile similar to Russia’s S-300, that was first seen in 2010.

Much remains unknown about secretive North Korea’s military capacity, but a 2021 report from the International Institute for Strategic Studies estimates the communist dictatorship harbors some 4,000 tanks, 2,500 armored vehicles, 550 combat-capable aircraft, and 5,500 multiple-rocket launchers with their associated munitions. Much of the arsenal is either Soviet-made or designed, or compatible with the same Soviet-designed weapons used by Russia.
 

Troops fire a North Korean-made 152mm howitzer in October 2022.

Calibre Obscura’s analyst and weapons tracker told RFE/RL that Russia is likely to seek ammunition for rocket and cannon artillery, as well as potentially some of the materials for making shells. “It’s possible that ballistic missiles could be exported also,” he added.

 

Prototype North Korean tanks seen at a military parade in July. 

Weaponry made in the impoverished Asian country has been panned by some analysts as unreliable after a 2010 incident in which North Korea launched a barrage of around 170 rockets and shells toward South Korean targets on Yeonpyeong Island. According to South Korean reports, fewer than half the projectiles fired hit the island. Of those that did, around a quarter failed to detonate.

 

Self-propelled artillery vehicles fire into the sea from North Korea in late 2016. 

Calibre Obscura's weapons tracker says, “It is hard to be sure of [the impact North Korean weapons could have], but increased availability of ammunition for Russian artillery, or parts and [materials] to keep that artillery firing for longer, would certainly make things harder for Ukraine.”
 

Rocket systems disguised as civilian trucks paraded in Pyongyang on September 8. The top panels of the vehicles are covered with sacks resembling building material. 

Some recent weapons spotted in North Korea include rocket artillery systems hidden inside vehicles disguised as civilian trucks. In Ukraine, hunter-killer kamikaze drones have rendered easily recognizable military vehicles vulnerable to attack even far behind the front lines.  
 

North Korean-made, self-propelled 170mm guns parade in Pyongyang in July 2013.  

The September 13 meeting appears to have significantly improved ties between the two internationally isolated countries, with North Korea's Kim telling reporters, "We have always supported every decision that President Putin or the Russian government makes."

The White House has repeatedly warned North Korea against making any arms deal with Russia, which would violate several United Nations Security Council resolutions.