Russia provided North Korea with air defense system: Seoul

ISTANBUL

Russia has provided North Korea with an air defense system and other military support since late last year, according to an international monitoring report released Thursday by South Korea’s Foreign Ministry, Yonhap News reported.

Moscow transferred at least one Pantsir air defense system and a Pantsir-class combat vehicle to North Korea, the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) reported.

The MSMT was established in October 2023 by South Korea and the US after the UN Security Council ended the mandate of a UN sanctions panel monitoring North Korea.

Nine more countries have become part of the mechanism -- Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

The report focuses on military cooperation between North Korea and Russia. The two countries signed a comprehensive pact last year.

It said North Korea has supplied Russia with more than 20,000 containers of military goods since September 2023, including millions of artillery rounds, ballistic missiles, heavy artillery and anti-tank weapons.

Russia has also shared missile data and technical support to improve North Korea’s missile guidance.

The report claimed that North Korea sent more than 11,000 troops to Russia in 2024, with 3,000 more recently deployed -- trained in drone countermeasures and infantry tactics.

Between March and October last year, Russia supplied North Korea with over 1 million barrels of fuel while about 8,000 North Korean workers are employed in Russia, it said.