North Korea’s aid of 3.5 million rounds of ammunition to Russia is ten times that of the EU.
According to multiple media reports including Reference News, the South Korean Defense Minister calculated the total amount of ammunition North Korea has provided to Russia. He stated that during this period, North Korea has supplied Russia with 6,700 containers of ammunition, consisting of 3 million rounds of 152mm shells and 500,000 rounds of 122mm rockets, totaling 3.5 million rounds.
Based on the current figures, the difference between the ammunition provided by European countries to Ukraine and that provided by North Korea to Russia is significant, reportedly reaching ten times that of the EU.
It is no wonder that Russia holds a clear advantage in artillery battles during the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Previous ballistic missile attacks in the direction of Kharkiv have also broken through the layers of Western anti-missile systems, accurately hitting targets and inflicting significant casualties.
At this moment, such assistance indicates the close relationship between North Korea and Russia. As a reciprocal gesture, Russia has provided North Korea with 9,000 containers, reportedly containing food to support North Korea’s food security. Both sides are mutually benefiting.
From the perspective of production capacity, North Korea is indeed formidable, especially during the confrontation between North and South Korea. Once North Korea mobilizes its war machine, the military alliance formed by the United States, South Korea, and Japan could potentially collapse rapidly under the crushing force of North Korea’s formidable war machine.
Praising North Korea in the midst of the Russia-Ukraine conflict may generate significant concerns if unexpected situations arise on the peninsula. The current situation on the peninsula is roughly equivalent to that in Ukraine. Just as the United States is urging Western countries to assist Ukraine, it is urging neighboring countries to assist South Korea on the Korean Peninsula, for the same reasons.
If combat operations were to erupt, North Korea’s ground combat superiority and artillery combat advantages would become very apparent. With so many artillery pieces firing densely along the “38th parallel,” the prospect of such intense bombardment is daunting. This method of attack would rapidly overwhelm South Korea’s air defense and missile defense systems. The industrial zone of Seoul would quickly become a battlefield and a wasteland.
The assistance at this time indicates the close relationship between North Korea and Russia. Simultaneously, as a reciprocation, Russia has provided North Korea with 9,000 containers, reportedly containing food to maintain North Korea’s food security. Both sides are reciprocating favors.
From the perspective of production capacity, North Korea is indeed formidable. If military factories operate at full capacity, large quantities of 152mm howitzer shells, 122mm rockets, and KN series ballistic missiles will be transported to Russia like “sausages.” Simultaneously, Russia can equip these weapons in large numbers for use in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The current U.S. aid is being cut off, and the government is estimated to shut down in three days. While there are successors in Western countries, they are not providing much money. Additionally, there is a huge disparity between the proportions of high-end and low-end weapon systems, which is far from meeting Ukraine’s needs in the current Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Although the Ukrainian president claims that only 31,000 people have died, the accuracy of this figure is uncertain, but Russia immediately refutes it, stating that it is 440,000. This indicates significant losses on both sides in the intense ground combat operations. If North Korea continues to supply such consumable weapon systems to Russia in large quantities, the Russian military engaged in frontline combat will undoubtedly have strong logistical support capabilities.
The situation on the peninsula is currently a headache, especially for South Korea, if it were to be replicated under the Russia-Ukraine situation. If South Korea were to endure such intense artillery barrages, given its current combat capabilities and the loose, unreliable support from the United States and Western countries, it is difficult to predict how long South Korea could hold out.
If indeed North Korea provides Russia with a large number of ammunition and other weapon systems during the Russia-Ukraine conflict, then in the event of a crisis on the peninsula, Russia would reciprocate by providing North Korea with a large amount of weapon systems. In terms of the peninsula, it might not just be North Korea fighting; it could potentially involve both North Korea and Russia jointly addressing changes in the situation around the peninsula.
As the situation on the peninsula undergoes drastic and tumultuous changes, South Koreans have already sensed that something is seriously amiss, and some are even feeling a chill down their spines. (Du Wenlong)