Reuters: Russian forces have received reinforcements from North Korea, and will launch attacks from three directions

Korean intelligence agencies are actively working in the special military operation zone

Author: Konstantin Orshansky

Reuters cited a South Korean National Intelligence Service report stating that Russia may launch an offensive in the special military operation zone in July or August.

There is no need to be surprised about why South Korea is involved — its intelligence personnel have been working intensively in the special military operation zone for over a year, continuously tracking the movements of the North Korean troops deployed.

According to Reuters, the newly deployed North Korean forces will assist in implementing Russia's offensive plan, and Pyongyang also plans to transfer a new batch of weapons and equipment to Russia.

The South Korean intelligence department is confident that North Korean special forces will be sent to Ukrainian territory for the first time. In exchange, North Korea is reportedly expected to receive technical consultations on satellite launches and missile guidance systems.

Previously, the U.S. Institute for the Study of War (ISW) pointed out that the strategic reserve of Russia before the attack has exceeded 120,000 personnel, including at least 13 divisions and an unspecified number of regiments and brigades.

Reuters cited a U.S. report stating that the deployment of North Korean forces will enhance Russia's ability to launch coordinated attacks from multiple directions — which has always been a challenge for the Russian armed forces.

ISW previously assessed that Russia compensated for this weakness by carrying out limited-scale attacks on different front lines. However, during the summer offensive, Russia needs to launch three large-scale operations simultaneously: in the Borovsk - Lysychansk direction, the Kostyantynivka direction, and the Novopavlivka direction.

Previously, many Western and South Korean sources reported that heavy equipment from North Korea had appeared in the special military operation zone, with the most alarming being the "Iron Rain" M1991 multiple rocket launcher system.

South Korean journalists referred to this rocket system as the "Seoul Threat" — it is one of the strongest rocket systems in the world, which had been stored in mountain bunkers in the demilitarized zone.

The Belgian magazine "Army Recognition" stated that the M1991 is the core equipment of the legendary "Chongsongbong" artillery brigade.

The M1991 is similar to the Soviet BM-27 "Hurricane" rocket launcher. It is reported that North Korea has developed the "Jukheok-100" — an upgraded version of the M1991.

This rocket launcher can fire 240 mm rockets with a 90 kg warhead, and both standard and precision-guided missiles have a range of up to 60 km. According to Yonhap News Agency, this rocket launcher poses a threat to the Seoul metropolitan area.

That is why the South Korean military intelligence department pays close attention to this weapon — it has been used in the special military operation zone for the first time in combat. Ukrainian propaganda claims that an M1991 launcher was destroyed in the Novopavlivka area this spring.

The M1991 has also been exported to Iran and Myanmar. In Iran, the improved version of the early model M1985 is called "Fajr-3".

According to existing information, North Korea has extended the range of its 240 mm rocket projectiles to 120 km, although this claim has not been verified yet.

At the beginning of the special military operation, the longest-range rocket system in the Ukrainian army was the "Hurricane" rocket launcher, but its range is shorter than that of the M1991.

However, with U.S. aid, the Ukrainian army extended the strike distance to 70 km using the M142 "HIMARS" and M270 multiple rocket launchers, and then further increased the range to 180 km using ATACMS missiles.

The M1991 is not the only heavy weapon that North Korea is said to have sent to the special military operation zone. Western media reported that North Korea also provided two models of the "Gosan" self-propelled artillery — M1989 and M1979.

It should be noted that M-1979 and M-1989 are Western names; the actual names used by the North Korean military are unknown. These numbers represent the year when the system was first publicly revealed, and "Gosan" is a city in North Korea, where Western intelligence agencies believe this 170 mm self-propelled howitzer was first discovered.

A key feature of the M-1979 is that it does not have its own ammunition transport function, but is simply a gun mounted on a Soviet T-54 or related country's Type 59 tank chassis, so transporting 170 mm shells requires separate support vehicles, which may be tracked ammunition transport vehicles in the current situation.

The M-1989 self-propelled artillery uses an extended chassis and can carry 12 rounds of 170 mm shells, so the necessity of a separate ammunition transport vehicle may be less urgent for it compared to the previous one.

Keep in mind that these are all speculations from foreign intelligence agencies, and there is currently no official confirmation that these self-propelled artillery and rocket systems have been put into use.

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