Behind the Axis: The North Korean Connection

The Jerusalem Post ^ | 5/22/2010 | Jonathan Spyder

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

North Korean spokesmen reacted furiously last week to claims by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman that Pyongyang is supplying weapons technology to Iran and Syria. Representatives of the regime of Kim Jong-Il described Lieberman as an “imbecile.” The official Korean Central News Agency in a memorable phrase accused the foreign minister in an official statement of “faking up sheer lies.”

The indignant denials notwithstanding, recent studies indicate that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as North Korea is officially known, is indeed playing a crucial but little remarked upon role in facilitating the arming of the Iran-led regional axis, including in the area of weapons of mass destruction. The North Korean role is multifaceted, and evidence has emerged of direct links to terror organizations such as Hizbullah and extensive strategic relations with both Iran and Syria.

A recent study by Christina Lin, a former US Department Defense official and specialist on China, looked into North Korea’s strategic partnership with Iran. Lin noted that North Korea has been described as the “the most important single leak” in the international anti-proliferation effort in the Middle East.

Iranian-North Korean strategic cooperation dates back to the first days of the Islamic Republic. Its basis is clear. Iran needs access to advanced military technology to underwrite its regional ambitions. Its main suppliers are Russia and China. But both these countries are active members of the international system, and hence are to some degree constrained by international pressures. North Korea, on the other hand, is an isolated country, indifferent to Western attempts to control the access of Middle East radicals to advanced armaments.

North Korean assistance plays a vital role in the Iranian missile program. Its flagship Shihab missile project is a product of the relationship. The Shihab is based on North Korea’s Nodong missile series.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

And the Saudis write the checks.

[Bean Counter]

I remember reading extensively in the 80’s about how NoKo had constructed miles of tunnels where they had cached vast quantities of aged Chinese and Soviet arms; stuff that dated back to the end of WWII. As I recall, North Korea was rumored to have a fine collection of vintage T-55 tanks that were lovingly cared for and started every so often, along with the trucks, artillery pieces and every other piece of hardware that the Regime could get their hands on. Syria under Hafez al Assad, Bashir Assad’s daddy, was armed up in much the same way.

The problem is that the ammo for all of that old weaponry is long past it’s shelf life, and if the DPRK Army ever decided to mount a charge into South Korea, they would probably do well to depend on their bayonets instead of their lousy ammunition.

We need to get as many of them as possible in one place, and then start making runs with Buffs loaded for bear with cluster munitions; maybe get a couple of Air Force tankers to go in low for a fuel dump and a flare drop...

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

They have 170 mm guns manned by the KPA’s 620 Artillery Corps. This is the forward unit on the DMZ.The unit is equipped with a heavy artillery brigade using 170mm self-propelled artillery, and between five and six artillery brigades armed with 122mm, 130mm, and 152mm self-propelled artillery pieces. Six additional Artillery Brigades are equipped with 122mm and 240mm MRL’s.
Each of those 170 mm guns have an estimated range on 50,000 meters.