Pyongyang is believed to have a large stockpile of artillery shells and rockets.
A TV screen in Seoul shows a file image of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
North Korea is believed to have a large stockpile of artillery shells and rockets that would be compatible with Soviet-era weapons, as well as a history of producing such ammunition. Both Ukraine and Russia have expended massive numbers of shells, and have looked to allies and partners around the world to refill their ammunition stockpiles.Among the ammunition that the US has provided Ukraine are shells with advanced capabilities, such as the Excalibur, which uses GPS guidance and steering fins to hit targets as small as 3m from up to 40km away.
To have minimal stocks for all their artillery in 100mm-152mm calibre would mean North Korea would have at least millions of shells stockpiled, Wezeman said, and just to replenish any ammunition fired in exercises or demonstrations will need some serious production capacities. However, it is more complicated than simply throwing shells at the enemy, and Russian artillery barrages have repeatedly failed to dislodge entrenched Ukrainians, he wrote.
The performance of North Korea’s artillery and crews has been suspect since the North Korean army fired around 170 shells at the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong in 2010, killing four people.