The North Korea weapon has a 25-mile range with standard munitions, and up to 37 miles with rocket-assisted shells, firing between one and two shells every five minutes
New photographic evidence has suggested North Korea has sent Vladimir Putin a “self-propelled” tank weapon in the war against Ukraine.
In addition to the 10,000-plus troops sent by Kim Jong Un , an image apparently shows his M1989 self-propelled gun crossing Russia by rail in light snow.
Neither Russia nor North Korea has announced such a deployment. The distinctive Kim weapon known as Shin’heung has a 170-mm gun mounted on a turret and placed on a modified tank chassis. The base is seen as derived from the Russian T-54 or T-62, or the Chinese Type 59 tank, but it is distinctively North Korean hardware.
The weapon has a 25 mile range with standard munitions, and up to 37 miles with rocket-assisted shells, firing between one and two shells every five minutes. Kim has been seen previously posing with the M1989 self-propelled gun.
The exact nature of the North Korean deal to supply arms and fighters to Putin is unknown. But there are fears the Russians will trade space or nuclear technology with the Pyongyang tyrant. The M1989 dates to the late 1980s, but Russia has been ready to use older equipment on the battlefield in the current war.
It comes as North Korea has agreed a “mutual military aid” pact with Russia sparking fears it could officially join the war against Ukraine.
North Korean troops are believed to have been deployed to Russia in support of Moscow’s invasion. As many as 50,000 North Korean and Russian troops are believed to be massing for an assault on Ukraine’s invasion Russia’s Kursk region. Russia had completed the ratification of the treaty last week after it was signed by President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June. It is believed the deal between the two is the biggest settlement of its kind for both countries since the end of the Cold War.
The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership treaty will take effect when both sides exchange documents on the ratification, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. North Korea ratified the treaty through a decree signed on Monday by the country’s president of state affairs, KCNA said.
North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament, the Supreme People’s Assembly, has the right to ratify treaties but Kim can unilaterally ratify major ones, according to South Korean officials. The treaty requires both countries to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance if either is attacked.
Some observers speculate the treaty’s ratification in both countries could signal North Korea could formally enter the Russia-Ukraine war soon. According to US, South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence assessments, up to 12,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia likely as part of the June treaty.
