#North #Korea #Sends #Envoy #Iran #Discussed
Friday, April 26 2024 – 14:41 WIB
Tehran – Delegation North Korealed by the cabinet minister for international trade, paid a visit to Iran. This presence sparked speculation that the two countries would cooperate in the field military.
Minister of Foreign Economic Relations, Yun Jong Ho, departed from Pyongyang on Tuesday by plane. He led a ministry delegation on their visit to Iran, according to a report by North Korea’s official KCNA news agency. Further information is not available.
Reporting from Between, Friday, April 26 2024, North Korea and Iran have long been suspected of collaborating in the development of a ballistic missile program. The two may have shared technical knowledge and components necessary for ballistic missile production.
Iran has provided Russia with a large number of ballistic missiles for use in the conflict in Ukraine. Meanwhile, North Korea is also accused of sending missiles and artillery to Russia, although it denies these accusations.
VIVA Military: The Iranian Consulate Building in Damascus was destroyed by an Israeli attack
The last visit by a North Korean official to Iran occurred in 2019. At that time, Pak Chol-min, who served as vice chairman of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly, visited Iran to discuss potential cooperation.
After establishing diplomatic relations in 1973, Pyongyang and Tehran are known to have had close ties while under international sanctions over their weapons programs. The two countries are suspected of exchanging ballistic missile spare parts and technology, especially during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.
The visit raised speculation that in addition to economic cooperation, North Korea may seek to deepen military ties with Iran amid Russia’s war with Ukraine. Pyongyang and Tehran are known as Moscow’s main providers of weapons to support the war.
Following Iran’s recent launch of more than 300 drones and missiles towards Israel, speculation has emerged that North Korean military spare parts or technology could be used for Iran’s missile salvo against Israel citing close military cooperation between Pyongyang and Tehran.
In 2006, the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards publicly admitted that his country had acquired Scud-B and Scud-C missiles from North Korea during the war, but no longer needed Pyongyang’s help.
Meanwhile, a US Defense Intelligence Agency report in 2019 indicated that Iran’s Shahab-3 ballistic missile was developed based on North Korea’s medium-range Rodong missile.
North Korean President Kim Jong Un and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi
Not only that, the Khorramshahr missile developed by Iran is believed to be technically related to North Korea’s Musudan missile.
Experts say North Korea could seek help from Iran regarding solid-fuel missile technology, such as ballistic missiles equipped with hypersonic warheads.
Last February, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said North Korea had sent around 6,700 containers carrying millions of ammunition to Russia since July 2023 to support its war against Ukraine in exchange for food and other necessities.
Iran is also suspected of providing Russia with drones for the war and Kyiv says Russia launched some 3,700 Iranian-made Shahed-136 attack drones at targets in Ukraine at the end of last year.
