Marcus Schiller, a respected authority on North Korean missiles, claims the three new rockets launched by Kim Jong-un bore all the hallmarks of a widely copied missile the Russian military has deployed in Syria and has been actively trying to sell abroad for years. Mr Schiller said the missiles carried a strong resemblance to the Russian-designed Iskander, a short-range, nuclear-capable ballistic missile that has been in the Kremlin’s arsenal for more than a decade.
He said: “There are Russian technology fingerprints all over it.”
Kim ended North Korea’s pause in ballistic missile launches – that began in late 2017 – in provocative style as the leader personally supervised the launch of the first missile from the country’s east coast on Saturday and two more from the west on Thursday. All splashed down in the Pacific.
Mr Schiller said short of actually procuring the missiles from Russia, Pyongyang could have had key parts delivered from a third country while making components such as the outer shell, or airframe, domestically.
The missiles were short-range and the launches do not mean Kim has decided to end his self-imposed moratorium on testing long-range missiles that could reach the United States mainland.
But they do suggest Kim is expanding the battle readiness of his missile forces and that could have a major impact on the safety of and US forces and their allies in the region.
Tensions in the region had significantly improved during the period with no missile or nuclear tests being carried out.
US President Donald Trump met Kim for talks in Vietnam at the end of February but the summit collapsed when the US refused to lift sanctions against the hermit state.
Kim had called for sanctions to be lifted in return for dismantling several facilities and putting missile and nuclear testing on hold.
The latest escalation comes after Kim was in Russia visiting President Vladimir Putin.
The two world leaders sat down together on Russky Island, off the Russian port of Vladivostok in an attempt to break the nuclear deadlock.