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Rapid increase in railcars at Dumangang Station… Has arms support to North Korea and Russia begun?

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A recent analysis of satellite images of the border area between North Korea and Russia revealed that the number of rail cars (freight carriages) has increased rapidly. There is speculation that North Korea may have begun providing conventional weapons to Russia in earnest as a follow-up to last month’s North Korea-Russia summit.

On the 6th (local time), ‘Beyond Parallel’, a website specializing in North Korea under the U.S. think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), analyzed satellite photos taken the previous day and found that North Korea’s Duman River railway facility is located in the border area with Russia. It was reported that a total of 73 track cars were spotted at (Duman River Station). Over the past five years, the highest number of tracked vehicles spotted in this area was about 20. Considering this, the number of tracked vehicles captured this time is more than before North Korea closed its borders due to the 2020 novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) pandemic.

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However, because the shipping boxes, containers, and various equipment were covered with tarps, it was not clear what the cargo was specifically. Beyond Division pointed out, “Considering that some military exchanges and cooperation measures were discussed at the recent North Korea-Russia summit, the increase in rail traffic could mean North Korea’s supply of weapons and military supplies to Russia.” A move to expand cargo capacity was also observed, such as building a new warehouse facility near the Duman River Railway.

Previously, Radio Free Asia (RFA) also reported on the 2nd that after the North Korea-Russia summit meeting, cargo loading and transportation preparations increased rapidly on the railway connecting Duman River Station and Russia’s Khasan Station from the 22nd of last month. Bruce Bennett, a senior researcher at the Rand Institute, a U.S. think tank, told RFA, “Anti-tank artillery shells or surface-to-air missiles that are fired from shoulder straps are not that heavy and can be transported by air, but very heavy shells are mainly transported by rail.”

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On the 5th, CBS News reported that North Korea had begun transferring artillery to Russia, citing an official in the Joe Biden administration. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense said on the 6th, “We have warned that arms trade between North Korea and Russia is actively taking place and that we will be closely watching this,” adding, “The arms trade between North Korea and Russia is a direct violation of UN Security Council resolutions.” criticized.

North Korea-Russia arms trade

Source: Donga

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