"North Korea and Russia Jointly Develop Drones... Production Within This Year"

"Russia Shows Reluctance to Support North Korea's Nuclear Development"

On the 8th, Japan's NHK reported, citing multiple sources familiar with the relations between the two countries, that North Korea is developing various types of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) with technical cooperation from Russia and plans to begin production within the year.

According to the report, this joint drone development was agreed upon as compensation for North Korea's deployment of troops in the Russia-Ukraine war. North Korea and Russia signed a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership" last year, which includes provisions for mutual military support in emergencies, and have continued military cooperation, including troop deployments to Ukraine.

However, NHK reported that Russia is taking a passive stance toward North Korea's nuclear weapons development. Russia aims to avoid complications in its relations with neighboring countries such as the United States and China if North Korea conducts nuclear tests.

Meanwhile, North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un inspected performance tests of suicide drones in November last year and ordered the establishment of a mass production system.