North supplied more howitzers, rocket launchers to Russia: South Korea

By Anadolu staff

South Korea's spy agency claimed Wednesday that North Korea supplied additional self-propelled howitzers and multiple rocket launchers to Russia, local media reported.

The National Intelligence Service said North Korean troops who were deployed to Russia also partially took part in combat alongside Russian forces against Ukraine, according to Seoul-based Yonhap News.

The agency said that North Korea's Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui had engaged in "sensitive discussion" with Russian President Vladimir Putin during her recent visit to Moscow.

She discussed the potential visit of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to Russia in near future, it claimed.

During her trip, Choe also pledged Pyongyang would "powerfully support and assist the Russian army" until its victory in Ukraine.

Her visit came after South Korea and the US claimed that Pyongyang soldiers had moved to Russia to fight Ukrainian forces there.

In June, Pyongyang and Moscow signed the comprehensive strategic partnership agreement that requires extending military aid to each other in case of aggression from a third party.

During a meeting with a Russian government delegation on Monday, Kim praised cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow and vowed to further promote bilateral ties.

North Korea and Russia held the 11th meeting of the intergovernmental committee on economic cooperation in Pyongyang on Tuesday and discussed issues related to mutual cooperation and further enhance economic ties.

North Korean Economic Relations Minister Yun Jong-ho and Russia's Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov led their respective delegations in the meeting of the intergovernmental committee for cooperation in trade, economy, science and technology in Pyongyang.

The two sides assessed the implementation of their previous meeting's agreements and discussed in detail areas of mutual cooperation, including energy, agriculture, science, technology, health and tourism.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid