North Korea is believed to have secured military supplies that could last up to three months in the event of a war and is running its munitions factories at full capacity to support Russia, a lawmaker said Wednesday.
The assessment came after a confirmation from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service last week that North Korea plans to send around 10,000 troops to Russia, with 1,500 special forces already dispatched earlier this month.
“North Korea is presumed to have secured weapons and other war material that could last for one to three months,” Rep. Kang Dae-sik of the People Power Party said, citing the Defense Ministry.
The report showed that while the North’s shipments of 152 millimeter (5.98 inches) artillery shells and missiles to Russia have had limited impact on its stockpile so far, additional shipments could potentially hamper its military training due to a shortage of ammunition.
The report, meanwhile, estimated North Korea to have shipped some 20,000 containers to Russia via the northeastern port city of Rajin, which could carry some 9.4 million 152 millimeter shells when fully stocked.
Of the 200 munitions factories presumed to be in North Korea, the report said the North appears to be operating those that produce weapons shipped to Russia at “full capacity,” without further elaborating.
It added that information on the monthly production output at major arms factories in the North is limited as they are built in underground facilities for enhanced survivability.
Yonhap
