Satellite photos suggest shipments increasing between North, Russia

In footage broadcast by Pyongyang's state-controlled Korean Central Television, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a rare summit held in the Russian Far East on Sept. 13. [YONHAP]

Frequent ship movements captured by satellite photos of a port in North Korea this past month suggest an increase in shipments from the North to Russia that the U.S. government says contain weapons deliveries.

The latest vessel captured in a satellite photo taken by Planet Labs on Friday was a ship approximately 105 meters (344 feet) long that anchored at the North Korean port of Rajin, North Hamgyong Province, according to analysis conducted by Voice of America (VOA).

Based on earlier satellite images of the port, VOA reported that the ship arrivals in the port appeared to take place every four days.

Other ships have been photographed while docked at Rajin on Oct. 19 and 23. The ship seen in the port on Oct. 23 was approximately 120 meters long.

Another 135-meter-long ship was also photographed on Monday at the northernmost pier of Rajin leased to China, following the sighting of a different, 100-meter-long ship at the same pier on Thursday.

All together, 11 ships have been photographed entering and leaving Rajin in October.

Satellite images from this past month show that arrivals at Rajin are usually presaged by the appearance of stacks of shipping containers, while departures are marked by the absence of such cargo on the docks.

The number of ships photographed in the port marks a dramatic increase compared to August and September when only one and two ships were sighted in the port by satellites.

The rise in ships docking in Rajin follows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s visit to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin in a rare summit, where they pledged to deepen their military cooperation.

The White House has cited satellite photos of shipping containers at Rajin on Sept. 7 and 8 as evidence that North Korea is supplying Russia with weapons to use in its invasion of Ukraine, including artillery shells.

“Our information indicates that in recent weeks, North Korea has provided Russia with more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions,” said John Kirby, the Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, on Oct. 13.

Multiple resolutions passed by the United Nations Security Council, of which Russia is a permanent, veto-wielding member, prohibit weapons exports by North Korea.

Moscow and Pyongyang have denied Washington’s accusations that the two countries are trading weapons in violation of international law.

Speaking at a meeting of the First Committee of the UN General Assembly on Oct. 16, North Korean diplomat Kim In-cheol said the U.S. allegations are part of a “politically motivated disinformation campaign” designed to undermine the North’s international reputation.

“We categorically reject the U.S. allegation of the DPRK-Russia arms dealings,” Kim said, referring to the North by the acronym for its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

“Instead of absolutely and absurdly claiming about nonexistent arms dealings, the U.S. must once and for all stop supplying lethal armaments to Ukraine which cause bloodshed and prolongs the war.”

In comments to reporters on Oct. 17, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also dismissed the White House’s comments regarding North Korea’s alleged weapons supplied to Russia, saying there was “no evidence.”

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]