South Korea says North Korea likely received Russian support for air-to-air missiles

Seoul, May 19 (IANS) South Korea's military on Monday raised the possibility that North Korea received technological assistance from Russia in developing a new air-to-air missile following the North's test of the weapon last week.

On Saturday, the North's state media reported North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw anti-air combat and air raid drills by an air force flight group earlier in the week, unveiling what appeared to be a live-fire drill involving a new air-to-air missile launched from a MiG-29 fighter jet. Kim was accompanied by a group of party and military officials, including Ri Pyong-chol, general adviser for the munitions policy of the ruling Workers' Party's Central Committee, and Kim Yong-hwan, president of the Academy of Defence Sciences.

"We believe there is an association," Col. Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), told a regular press briefing, when asked whether the North received arms and advanced technology from Russia in exchange for its troop deployment.

Lee said, however, that further analysis is necessary to determine the extent and scope of Russia's possible technological assistance.

The JCS official added that it will likely take "considerable" time for the North to deploy such weapons systems for combat use, Yonhap news agency reported.

"There have been many cases in which the North attempted to deceive or exaggerate... issues in securing parts and material have led to delays in deployment," he said. "We believe the weapons systems will also take considerable time (to be operational)."

South Korea is seeking to develop its own air-to-air missile system, with defence authorities aiming to complete a research project to build a short-range air-to-air missile system by 2032 and deploy it by 2035.

The North's latest drills came as Kim has been highlighting the importance of modernising conventional weapons, as he recently made a series of public visits to military units and munitions factories and emphasised stronger war preparations.

--IANS

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