In exchange for troops in Ukraine, Russian aid to North Korea may extend to space

Earlier this week, North Korea apparently accomplished a profitable take a look at of its strongest intercontinental ballistic missile, lofting it almost 4,800 miles into area earlier than the projectile fell again to Earth.

This solid-fueled, multi-stage missile, named the Hwasong-19, is a brand new software in North Korea’s more and more refined arsenal of weapons. It has sufficient vary—maybe as a lot as 9,320 miles (15,000 kilometers), in response to Japan’s authorities—to strike targets wherever in the US.

The take a look at flight of the Hwasong-19 on Thursday was North Korea’s first take a look at of a long-range missile in almost a yr, coming as North Korea deploys some 10,000 troops inside Russia simply days earlier than the US presidential election. US officers condemned the missile launch as a “provocative and destabilizing” motion in violation of UN Safety Council resolutions.

The budding partnership between Russia and North Korea has developed for a number of years. Russian President Vladimir Putin has met with North Korean chief Kim Jong Un on a number of events, most not too long ago in Pyongyang in June. Final September, the North Korean dictator visited Putin on the Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia’s latest launch base, the place the leaders inspected {hardware} for Russia’s Angara rocket.

On this photograph distributed by North Korean state media, a Hwasong-19 missile fires out of a launch tube someplace in North Korea on October 31, 2024.

The go to to Vostochny fueled hypothesis that Russia would possibly present missile and area expertise to North Korea in trade for Kim’s help within the combat in opposition to Ukraine. This week, South Korea’s protection minister mentioned his authorities has recognized a number of areas the place North Korea seemingly seeks assist from Russia.

“In trade for his or her deployment, North Korea may be very prone to ask for expertise transfers in numerous areas, together with the applied sciences referring to tactical nuclear weapons applied sciences associated to their development of ICBMs, additionally these concerning reconnaissance satellites and people concerning SSBNs [ballistic missile submarines] as nicely,” mentioned Kim Yong-hyun, South Korea’s high navy official, on a go to to Washington.