SEOUL, November 2. /TASS/. Claims by a South Korean member of parliament that Russia is allegedly receiving arms deliveries from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) are unfounded, as neither the intelligence data cited by the lawmaker nor any other corroborating evidence from the US or South Korea have been provided, the Russian Embassy to the Republic of Korea told TASS.
On November 1, Republic of Korea National Assembly Intelligence Committee member Yoo Sang-bum, citing Seoul’s National Intelligence Service, asserted that North Korea had allegedly sent 10 shipments of ammunition and weapons to Russia. He mentioned the figure of 1 mln rounds of munitions, which he said would be enough for two months of shelling in Ukraine. He also said Moscow had allegedly advised Pyongyang on technological issues in preparation for a third attempt at launching a satellite.
"South Korean parliamentarians have already repeatedly engaged in empty speculation about Russian-North Korean military and technical cooperation, including in space, referring to certain ‘data from the National Intelligence Service,’" the embassy said. It noted further that the claims represent the already habitual scheme of making statements about "highly likely" events without furnishing any evidence.
"This is understandable. The [South] Korean side, as well as its American partners, simply do not have such evidence. We don’t see it as necessary to comment on these fabrications from the ‘fabulists’ of Seoul," the Russian diplomatic mission said.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov labeled as rumors Washington's claims that Pyongyang was providing military aid to Moscow. On October 26, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on reports about alleged arms deliveries to Russia from North Korea. According to him, "such reports are many; they are all, as a rule, groundless, [with] no specifics."
On October 13, US National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby claimed that DPRK authorities had allegedly sent more than 1,000 containers with "equipment and munitions" to be used in Russia’s special military operation. On November 2, the Yonhap news agency cited claims by an unnamed representative of the South Korean armed forces that the DPRK had allegedly transferred about 2,000 containers to Russia that could contain various weapons up to and including short-range ballistic missiles.