North Korea likely supplying weapons, sharing tactics with Hamas, South Korea says

SEOUL, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- North Korea appears to be supplying arms to Hamas and may be working with the militant faction on training and tactics that could potentially be used in a surprise attack on South Korea, a senior official from Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday.

"Hamas is believed to be directly or indirectly linked to North Korea in various areas, such as the weapons trade, tactical guidance and training," the official told local media on background.

"There is a possibility that North Korea could use Hamas' attack methods for a surprise invasion of South Korea," the official added.

South Korea's Defense Ministry confirmed the JCS official's comments to international media.

Media reports have identified Hamas fighters using F-7 rocket-propelled grenade launchers, which the official said is another name for the North's RPG-7 launcher.

The official also noted that North Korean-made 122mm multiple rocket launchers were provided to an armed group related to Hamas, and artillery shells marked "Bang-122" -- the same as ammunition used by North Korea -- were found on the Israel-Gaza border.

On Saturday, Israeli Ambassador to South Korea Akiva Tor told the Voice of America's Korean Service that he believes Hamas is using North Korean weapons in its attacks on Israel, which began with a surprise assault on Oct. 7.

North Korea has long been accused of supplying arms to Hamas, and on Friday Pyongyang denied the allegations, calling them "groundless and false" in state-run Korean Central News Agency.

The KCNA article accused Washington of trying to divert responsibility for the conflict in the Middle East, calling the rumors a "stereotyped smear campaign" attempting to link North Korea to the crisis.

The JCS official said tactics used by Hamas in its attack on Israel showed similarities to the "asymmetric attack pattern" that South Korea anticipates from the North. Hamas began its assault with a large-scale rocket launch to overwhelm Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system and used commercial drones to bomb security positions on the highly fortified border fence.

Hamas also deployed motorized paragliders to infiltrate Israel, a tactic that North Korea has practiced since South Korea deployed an advanced border surveillance system a decade ago, the official said.

In December 2016, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un publicly led a training exercise of paragliders simulating an attack on the South Korean presidential residence.

"There is a possibility that this know-how was passed on to Hamas," the official said.

The JCS official said Seoul is analyzing the failures of the Israeli early warning system to deter the Hamas attacks and is working closely with the United States to step up surveillance on the North and bolster defense capabilities.

South Korea is developing its own Iron Dome-style system, called the Low Altitude Missile Defense system. The JCS official said it will be deployed by 2026.