Western components found in missiles from North Korea
According to a report, missiles supplied to Russia from North Korea were constructed with a number of components from Western companies.
This also includes corporations based in the USA and Germany.
According to a report, the remains of a North Korean missile found in Ukraine contain components from companies based in the USA and Europe – including Germany. Accordingly, a ballistic missile that fell in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv at the beginning of January contained 290 electronic parts that did not come from the East Asian country, according to the report by the organization Conflict Armament Research (CAR).
A large proportion of the components also had a date and were produced in the past three years, it said. This could mean that the weapon only reached Russia after the Russian attack on Ukraine began in February 2022.
75 percent of foreign parts of US companies
According to CAR, 75 percent of foreign parts could be attributed to companies in the USA and 16 percent to companies in Europe. According to the report, this is primarily about components that were installed in the missiles’ navigation system. In addition to the USA, parts from Germany, Singapore, Japan, Switzerland, China, the Netherlands and Taiwan were also found.
The authors conclude that North Korea managed to evade UN sanctions against the country for ballistic missile components and that these weapons are used by Russia in the war against Ukraine. At the same time, it is also an indication of how much the country is dependent on imports from abroad. The White House said in early January that North Korea had provided Russia with cruise missiles and rocket launchers that were used in attacks in Ukraine.
The London-based organization Conflict Armament Research, whose work is partly funded by the EU, examines weapon systems in war zones for the supply chains that used to produce them.
