North Korean delegation goes to Iran as fears of greater military ties grow

North Korea conducts a tactical drill simulating a nuclear counterattack, attended by leader Kim Jong-un, on Monday. [YONHAP]

North Korea sent a delegation to Iran on Tuesday, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) announced Wednesday, signaling possible military cooperation between Pyongyang and Tehran.

While details about the delegation and its purposes were not made public, it is unusual for North Korea to send a direct delegation to Iran. As both countries have been closely cooperating with Russia regarding military equipment and arms deals, the North Korean delegation’s trip to Iran this time could signal deepening military cooperation.

Previously, in 2019, Pak Chol-min, then vice chairman of the Supreme People’s Assembly, visited Iran to discuss cooperation.

North Korea and Iran are traditional allies and are both under international sanctions for their weapons programs. The two nations have long been suspected of cooperating on ballistic missiles and nuclear technology.

The latest dispatch of a North Korean delegation to Iran may carry a new significance, given the two countries' active support for Russia in the war in Ukraine.

As Pyongyang and Tehran are suspected of providing weapons to Russia, there is speculation that this visit will serve as an opportunity to deepen not only economic ties but also military cooperation centered on support for Russia.

The international community is also watching for the possibility of direct military cooperation between North Korea and Iran rather than just support for Russia.

Iran’s recent launch of more than 300 drones and missiles toward Israel has raised speculation that North Korean parts or military technology were used.

North Korea is also suspected of buying the unmanned attack drone “Shahed-136,” made by Iran and widely used by Russia on the battlefield in Ukraine.

It has further been reported that Iran’s main medium-range ballistic missile, “Shahab-3,” was developed based on North Korea’s mid-range Rodong missiles, according to a 2019 report by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency. The Khorramshahr missile developed by Iran is also believed to be technically linked to North Korea’s Musudan missiles.

North Korea is in the process of converting its arsenal from large numbers of liquid fuel-based missiles to solid fuel missiles and could request help from Iran, which has advanced solid fuel technology.

Pyongyang and Tehran are accused of providing weapons to Russia as the war in Ukraine continues.

North Korea has delivered about 6,700 containers containing millions of munitions to Russia since July 2023 in exchange for food and other necessities, according to South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik in February this year.

Iran is also suspected of providing Russia with drones, with Ukrainian officials saying that Russia had launched around 3,700 Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones at targets in Ukraine by the end of last year.

On Wednesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of the Worker’s Party’s Central Committee, criticized joint military drills between South Korea and the United States.

“Entering this year, the United States has staged more than 80 rounds of military drills with its lackeys and those individually staged by the ROK puppets total more than 60,” Kim said in a statement released by the KCNA, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea. “This evidently shows who the arch criminals straining the regional situation are.”

“We will continue to build up our overwhelming and most powerful military muscle to defend our sovereignty and security and regional peace,” Kim continued. “If the United States persists in its moves to threaten the security of the DPRK, boasting of its strength by rallying its stooges, the security of the U.S. and its allies will be exposed to greater danger.” The DPRK is an abbreviation of North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Pyongyang conducted a tactical drill simulating a nuclear counterattack involving super-large multiple rocket launchers on Monday.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]