North Korean missiles in Ukraine rely on Western tech
Ukraine is struggling with a wave of Russian missile attacks. In one-third of these strikes, North Korean missiles are used, which are only operational because they rely on Western components obtained despite sanctions, CNN reported on Sunday, citing sources in the Ukrainian army.
This year, Russia has launched approximately 60 North Korean KN-23 missiles at Ukraine. This makes up nearly one-third of all 194 ballistic missiles launched so far in 2024.
Key components used in North Korean missiles are produced by nine Western manufacturers, including companies based in the United States, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, as stated in a report by the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission of Ukraine (NAKO), a civil society organisation.
Some parts of the KN-23/24 missiles analysed by experts were produced in 2023, indicating a quick supply of these components to North Korea, CNN reported.
Everything that works to guide the missile, to make it fly, is all foreign components. All the electronics are foreign. There is nothing Korean in it, Andriy Kulchytskyi, head of the Military Research Laboratory of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute and Forensic Examination, told CNN.
- The only thing Korean is the metal, which quickly rusts and corrodes, he added.
A report published earlier this year by the British investigative organisation Conflict Armament Research (CAR) revealed that 75 percent of the components in one of the first North Korean missiles used in the attack on Ukraine came from companies based in the USA.
According to arms sale monitoring experts, there is no reliable information on how the components reach North Korea. However, everything indicates that China is the likely transit point - experts believe.
- We have successfully traced some of those components, and the last known custodians are Chinese companies, said Damien Spleeters, deputy operational director at CAR, who is working on independently documenting the diversion of arms supplies.
Electronics manufactured by companies in the USA and Canada
According to CAR, there are over 250 companies whose components have been identified in North Korean missiles. However, most of these electronics are distributed through five main distributors based in the United States and Canada.
So far, despite announced sanctions and public pressure, none of the entities producing and distributing parts for North Korean missiles has been held criminally accountable, CNN emphasised.
