South Korea aware of North Korea-provided weapons being used by Russia in Ukraine, says presidential office

South Korea has long been aware that Russia has used weapons provided by North Korea in its war in Ukraine, the presidential office said Thursday.

“We have long confirmed that kinds of weapons provided by North Korea were being used by Russia in the Ukraine battlefield,” an official from the presidential office in Seoul said, when asked if Pyongyang had supplied weapons to Moscow.

The official said that it was hard to talk about the issue because it is an intelligence matter.

The official added that it is too early to make a conclusive assessment of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s trip to Russia as it is ongoing.

Kim is expected to travel to the eastern city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, where he would visit factories that manufacture official equipment for both civilians and military.

The official also said that the South Korean government is discussing individual and multilateral measures it could take with its major allies including the US and Japan, as it monitors the growing ties between Moscow and Pyongyang.

Ahead of the meeting between Kim and Russia's President Vladimir Putin US officials warned that Russia and North Korea were “actively advancing” a potential arms deal that could see Pyongyang provide weapons for Moscow to use in its faltering Ukraine war.