US, European parts found in N.Korean missile in Ukraine: report

The remains of a North Korean ballistic missile recovered in Ukraine contained components with the marks of companies headquartered in the United States and Europe, a weapons tracking organization said Tuesday.

The Conflict Armament Research (CAR) report indicates that North Korea is able to obtain Western components for its weapons despite heavy sanctions, and that those weapons are being used by Moscow in its war against Ukraine.

CAR investigators “determined that a ballistic missile produced by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and recovered in Ukraine includes more than 290 non-domestic electronic components,” CAR said.

Seventy-five percent of the parts were linked to companies incorporated in the United States, while 16 percent were tied to firms in Europe, it said.

“Half the components documented bore identifiable date codes, and more than 75 per cent of those codes indicated production between 2021 and 2023. Based on those production dates, CAR concludes that the missile recovered in Kharkiv could not have been assembled before March 2023,” CAR said.

The White House said in early January that North Korea had provided Russia with ballistic missiles and missile launchers that were used in attacks on Ukraine.

CAR said the missile its investigators analyzed was recovered in Kharkiv on January 2, 2024.  (BSS/AFP)