North Korea Resumes KN-23 Ballistic Missile Shipments to Russia

Ukrainian open-source intelligence account Polkovnik GSH, citing sources tied to Ukraine's military, reports that North Korea has resumed shipments of KN-23 ballistic missiles to Russia. The KN-23, initially plagued by poor accuracy with error margins of 500-1,500 meters, has been significantly improved by Russian engineers to a margin of 50-100 meters, making it one of the most precise short-range missiles in Moscow's arsenal. Ukraine's Defense Intelligence directorate previously confirmed Russia received over 100 KN-23 and KN-24 missiles since December 2023. Russia's domestic Iskander-M production of roughly 60 units per month cannot keep pace with wartime demands, driving continued reliance on North Korean supplies. The partnership involves bidirectional technology transfer, with Russia incorporating North Korean engineering solutions into its own missiles. Independent estimates of current KN-23 accuracy vary, but all sources agree on dramatic improvement since initial deployments.