Russia is helping North Korea to develop nuclear missiles capable of striking the West, it has been claimed. Jin Yong-sung, joint chiefs of staff chairman in South Korea, made the claim during a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday, suggesting North Korea may have received Russian technologies while developing ballistic missiles. While the extent of the suspected involvement was not disclosed, it came after Kim Jong-un unveiled a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) during a military parade last week. with range what would enable it to strike the United States.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s security council, attended the celebration of 80 years of the Workers’ Party on Friday, alongside Li Qiang of China and To Lam of Vietnam. “The spectators broke into the most enthusiastic cheers when the column of Hwasong-20 ICBMs, the most powerful nuclear strategic weapon system of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, entered the square, filling the track,” a report from the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) read.
The Korea Institute for Defence Analyses has estimated that North Korea’s Hawsong-20 can carry six to eight “multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles” (MIRV), compared to four or five for its predecessor.
When tested last October, the weapon travelled 7,000km, a record for a North Korean rocket and making it capable, when flown on a normal trajectory, of reaching the mainland US.
South Korean defence minister Ahn Gyu-back also told parliament that North Korea had likely received technical help from Russia for its submarine development on Monday.
Kim has vowed to develop submarines capable of launching ballistic missiles but it is unclear whether Pyongyang has yet achieved its ambition of firing the nuclear weapons underwater.
The growing nuclear threat posed to the West by North Korea and Russia sits against a backdrop of closer ties between the two authoritarian regimes.
North Korea is said to have sent around 12,000 troops and large weapon shipments to support Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and both countries have situated themselves at the forefront of an oppositionary global stronghold to the US-led West.
While Putin’s relationship with US President Donald Trump has become increasingly fractured in recent months, linked to the Russian leader’s refusal to engage in direct peace talks with Ukraine, Kim has shunned any form of talks with Washington and Seoul since discussions on nuclear diplomacy went awry during Mr Trump’s first term.
The North Korean leader also met Medvedev to discuss consolidating the “comprehensive strategic partnership and alliance” between the two countries on Friday, the KCNA said.