North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, oversaw the second set of tests for a new rocket that could be used to attack Seoul in South Korea and assist Russia in its war against Ukraine.
The 240-millimeter multiple rocket launcher has an estimated range of between 40 kilometers and 60 kilometers, or around 25 miles to 37 miles, and is capable of bringing “a strategic change in bolstering up the artillery force of the Korean People’s Army,” according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency, cited by Bloomberg.
The weapon is known to have been tested once before, in February of this year, according to the defense and security outlet Army Recognition.
“North Korea can put the whole Seoul area within its shooting range if these rockets are fired from the front line,” Yang Uk, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, told Bloomberg.
“It could be meaningful in the exports market, say for Russia, and it could be a useful weapon for the war in Ukraine,” he said.
Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via Reuters
Speaking to NK News in February, Yang said the threat from these rockets is minor compared to the other weapons already obtained by the North Korean military, including KN-23 short-range ballistic missiles and 600mm artillery systems, according to part of the article cited by Army Recognition.
“North Korea’s attempt to present their new system as a guided weapon doesn’t significantly raise the level of threat,” Yang said.
Simon Miles, an assistant professor at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy, told Business Insider that it would “make perfect sense” for North Korea to develop and sell this type of rocket to the Kremlin, even if the quality isn’t as high as others that the country has produced.
“Quality will be low, but probably ‘good enough’ for Russia’s purposes if they do purchase it, and I bet the price will be attractive,” Miles, a historian of the Soviet Union and US-Soviet relations, told BI.
Russia and North Korea have previously denied an arms deal exists between the two countries. Nonetheless, both US and South Korean officials have accused North Korea of supplying weapons to Russia in exchange for food, economic aid, and military assistance, AP News reported.
South Korea’s defense minister said in March that North Korea had shipped an estimated 7,000 containers containing munitions and other military equipment to Russia since 2023, the outlet added.
Business Insider reported in October that North Korea was on track to become “one of Russia’s most significant foreign arms suppliers.”
US Congress, meanwhile, this week approved a $61 billion aid package to Ukraine after months of pushback. Experts believe future assistance from the US isn’t guaranteed as the country gears up for a general election.
Kelly Grieco, a Stimson Center senior fellow, said at a recent Defense Priorities panel that “everyone involved in this conflict should treat this aid package as though it’s the last one and plan accordingly, because that could be.”
