South Korean spy says North Korea sent artillery shells to Russia

The spy agency south korean North Korea is believed to have sent more than a million artillery shells to Russia since August for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraineaccording to a legislator who attended a confidential meeting with intelligence agents.

North Korea and Russia have actively promoted their partnership as each of their confrontations with the United States have deepened. Their diplomacy — the highlight of which was a summit between Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Putin in September — has raised concerns about a deal under which North Korea provides Russia with scarce munitions in exchange for Russian technologies to reinforce Kim’s military nuclear sector.

Both Pyongyang and Moscow have rejected claims from the United States and South Korea that the North sends weapons to Russia.

According to lawmaker Yoo Sang-bum, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service believes the North has sent more than a million artillery shells to Russia on ships and other means of transportation since early August. Those shells are equivalent to two months of supplies for Russia, Yoo said.

The agency believes North Korean munitions factories are operating at full capacity to meet Russian demand and has mobilized people to ramp up production, Yoo said. There are also signs that North Korea sent weapons experts to Russia in October to advise Russian officials on the use of North Korean weapons.

Intelligence chiefs did not immediately respond to a request to confirm Yoo’s information. The agency has a spotty track record regarding events in North Korea given Pyongyang’s tight control over information.