‘Dramatic’ North Korea-Russia rail traffic increase hints at arms supply to Putin as carriages more than triple

Satellite images show 73 carriages at a North Korean rail facility on the border compared with 20 previously, a US think tank says

The report comes after Kim Jong-un’s recent meeting with Vladimir Putin in Russia, where they discussed military cooperation

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un meets Russia’s Vladimir Putin last month Photo: KCNA via Reuters

Published: 10:07am, 9 Oct 2023

Recent satellite photos show a sharp increase in rail traffic along the North Korea-Russia border, indicating the North is supplying munitions to Russia, according to a US think tank.

Speculation about a possible North Korean plan to refill Russia’s munition stores drained in its protracted war with Ukraine flared last month, when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un travelled to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin and visit key military sites. Foreign officials suspect Kim is seeking sophisticated Russian weapons technologies in return for the munitions to boost his nuclear programme.

“Given that Kim and Putin discussed some military exchanges and cooperation at their recent summit, the dramatic increase in rail traffic likely indicates North Korea’s supply of arms and munitions to Russia,” Beyond Parallel, a website run by the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said in a report on Friday.

“However, the extensive use of tarps to cover the shipping crates/containers and equipment makes it impossible to conclusively identify what is seen at the Tumangang Rail Facility” on the border, it said.

The report said satellite images as of October 5 captured “a dramatic and unprecedented level of freight railcar traffic” at the Tumangang Rail Facility. It said images show around 73 carriages while a review of previous satellite images over the past five years shows about 20 carriages at this facility at most.

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un arrives by rail after crossing the border into Russia last month to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: AP

US and South Korean officials have warned that North Korea and Russia would face consequences if they went ahead with the reported weapons transfer deal in violation of UN Security Council resolutions that ban all weapons trade involving North Korea.