North Korean Missile debris similar to one used in Ukraine, claims South Korea

The military of South Korea claimed that a surface-to-air missile recovered from North Korean waters, an SA-5 from the Soviet era, resembled Russian weapons deployed in the conflict with Ukraine.

This occurred as South Korea recovered the leftovers from North Korea’s November 2 ballistic missile launch. Alarm was raised as the missile made its first landing in South Korean waters after crossing the maritime border between the two Koreas.

Nevertheless, North Korea denied American claims that it had sent weapons and ammunition to Russia for the conflict. North Korea’s transfer of weapons is prohibited by United Nations resolutions, so this might potentially constitute a breach of such resolutions.

The South Korean defence ministry said that the retrieved debris were parts of the SA-5 missile, citing its appearance and feature. “This SA-5 missile launch was a clearly deliberate, intentional provocation,” it said in a statement.

“The SA-5 also has characteristics of a surface-to-surface missile, and Russia has used similar missiles in Ukraine for surface-to-surface attacks.”

The S-200 air defence missile, formerly known as the SA-5, was developed by the Soviet Union initially to destroy high-altitude targets and strategic bombers. The Missile Defense Project of the Center for Strategic and International Studies claims that the missile was exported throughout the world and is still in use in at least a dozen nations.

The current tensions were raised on Wednesday as North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile toward its eastern sea.