South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said Monday that North Korea's economy is showing signs of improvement thanks to its arms deal with Russia. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI
SEOUL, March 18 (UPI) -- North Korea's sanctions-hit economy is showing signs of improvement thanks to an arms deal with Russia that is bringing back food and raw materials in exchange, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said Monday.
"The economic situation had been very poor, but since last year, the situation regarding food and fuel has improved significantly in return for the arms exports to Russia," Shin said during a briefing with international journalists in downtown Seoul.
North Korea has shipped around 7,000 containers of munitions to Russia since July for use in Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, Shin said, updating a figure of 6,700 he had given reporters in late February.
Shin said in February that the containers likely held millions of 152mm and 122mm artillery rounds. Seoul and Washington have also said North Korea is providing ballistic missiles and other weapons to Russia.
Russia has sent more than 9,000 containers back to North Korea in return, Shin said, carrying food, as well as raw materials used for producing munitions.
The defense minister suggested that Russia may also be providing North Korea with fuel in defiance of U.N. Security Council sanctions on imports of oil and refined petroleum products, noting an uptick in military exercises in recent months.
"Looking at North Korea's public [military] training, the overall trend had been a significant reduction in the past, but in January and February this year, there has been an unusual increase," Shin said. "The rapid reduction in North Korea's training in the past was not only due to limited resources in other areas but especially due to the poor fuel situation."
In recent weeks, North Korean state media has reported on leader Kim Jong Un overseeing live-fire artillery drills and tank combat training sessions.
The defense minister's remarks came hours after North Korea launched multiple short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, its latest provocation as tensions remain at their highest level in years on the Korean Peninsula.
The United States and South Korea have ramped up their military cooperation in response to the North's growing threats. Last week, the allies completed a large-scale joint military exercise, which Pyongyang condemned as preparation for an invasion.
Moscow and Pyongyang, meanwhile, have grown closer since Kim made a rare visit to Russia in September. Along with food aid, Russia is believed to be supplying North Korea with advanced technology for its space and weapons programs.
On Monday, North Korean state media reported that Kim sent a congratulatory message to Russian President Vladimir Putin for his re-election. Last month, Kim received a Russian-made limousine as a gift from Putin in a show of the developing ties between the two countries.
