This content was originally published by Radio Free Asia, and it is now licensed for reprint.
According to officials in North Korea, several factories have changed their processes to quickly produce 152-millimeter artillery shells, but they are n’t sure if the ammunition will be shipped to Russia for use in its conflict with Ukraine.
A stock established in the northeastern state of Ryanggang told RFA Korean on condition of anonymity for safety reasons that “important officials at the manufacturer do not know whether the 152 mm artillery shells produced these are intended to help Russia.”  ,
It is assumed that the manufacturing process was done in order to support Russia right away after Kim Jong Un’s visit to Russia, he continued.
North Korea-Russia’s arms deal began in earnest around the visit of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to Russia in September of last year, according to South Korean Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik in an interview with Japan’s Yomiuri News on July 24.
He added that lots of short-range nuclear weapons and 5.2 million sessions of 152-millimeter artillery shells were among the pots being transported from North Korea to Russia as of July 15.
The North Korean ministry of defense believes this has already begun in violation of international sanctions intended to stop Pyongyang from investing money in its nuclear and missile plans.
According to North Korean officials, several factories that usually produce other types of ammunition were converted to produce 152-millimeter artillery shells soon after Kim’s journey.
A second Ryanggang official, who is not authorized to provide an interview, reported to RFA on the condition of anonymity that the forest technology tree shop in the hills of Wangdok, Komsan-dong, Hyesan City has been producing 152-millimeter weaponry shell since the beginning of this time. ” The goal is to make 6, 000 shell per month, but the target number has not yet been reached”.
He claimed that the factory now produced mortar shells, but Kim’s return from Russia last year caused the production to alter.
In the room where mortarshells were made, a fresh 152-millimeter shell creation method was installed, he said. ” The whole artillery shell manufacturing process was completed in less than two weeks, and test output was properly conducted before the new year, at the end of December.”
The stock is connected to the same electric grid as Samjiyon, but it is still supplied at times when that city experiences outages. However, the manufacturer has failed to hit barrel manufacturing targets because organic materials are not supplied constantly, he said.
” The supplies needed to produce artillery shells come from China, no Russia”, said the following official, adding that nobody knows how the dealer gets the elements, like special materials needed to make the shell.
The first official confirmed that another province factory had changed its shell-making process.
” Along with the Hyesan Forestry Machinery Branch Factory, the 915 Factory has also , been producing 152 mm artillery shells starting this year”, he said.
According to him, the shells that are produced in Ryanggang are then transported to a factory for agricultural machinery to produce finished goods in North Hamgyong, a province in the northeast.
