Iran said to be buyer of North missiles

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Iran said to be buyer of North missiles

In addition to its previously intercepted missile shipment to Yemen, North Korea apparently has exported missiles to Iran, along with gunships.

An Iranian freighter has loaded missiles and supplies of rocket fuel from two North Korean ports on multiple occasions and sailed to Iran, a South Korean government official disclosed Wednesday. "The Iranian ship, Iran Meead, loaded the goods at the North's Nampo and Songnim harbors several times in February and November and went to Iran," the source said. Songnim is near the North Korean capital, Pyeongyang.

Before calling at the North Korean harbors, the Iranian ship reportedly stopped at China's Tianjin Harbor and loaded missile components and heat-seekers. The source said North Korean-built missile bodies were assembled with Chinese-made seekers before going to Iran.

The same Iranian ship was named by the U.S. daily Washington Times Monday as the carrier of 15 North Korean gunships to Iran last week.

South Korea had been aware of the North Korean ship stopped and searched by Spain and the U.S. last week on its way to Yemen ever since its departure, the source said. Seoul was reportedly tracking the North Korean freighter, which carried missiles to Yemen in September.

by Kim Min-seok, Oh Young-hwan

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