Russia suspected of helping North Korea build nuclear submarines, Seoul investigating
Analysts said such a technology transfer was plausible given Pyongyang’s support for Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine
Citing unnamed government sources, South Korean daily JoongAng Ilbo reported that Moscow is thought to have supplied North Korea with two or three modules in the first half of this year, comprising reactor cores, turbines and cooling systems removed from decommissioned Russian submarines.
But analysts say such a transfer, while provocative, would not be unrealistic given the growing military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang, particularly amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
02:22
North Korea state media releases propaganda video showing soldiers fighting for Russia
“It is highly possible that the North persistently pressed Russia for help with submarine technology, including nuclear propulsion, and that Moscow eventually yielded to these demands,” Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU), told This Week in Asia.