The Voice of America (VOA) reported on the 1st that a large ship measuring 377 feet in length was spotted again at Rajin Port in North Korea, a port the White House publicly identified last year as a site for North Korean-Russian arms trading.
According to VOA, a satellite image taken on June 29 by Planet Labs shows a large ship docked tightly at a pier exclusively used by North Korea.
Right in front of the ship, objects suspected to be containers are lined up for about 476 feet, indicating preparations for loading operations.
It has been almost two weeks since the 18th that container shipments from large ships were noticed here.
While satellite images alone cannot confirm the contents of the containers or ongoing weapons trade between North Korea and Russia, VOA highlighted the significance of a large ship reappearing shortly after a summit on June 19, when North Korea and Russia pledged to enhance military cooperation.
Among experts, there continues to be concern that North Korea’s weapons support from Russia could lead to the rapid advancement of its nuclear weapons through the transfer of Russian technology.
David Maxwell, former Deputy Chief of the Joint U.S.-South Korea Combined Forces Command and Deputy Director of the Asia-Pacific Strategic Center noted to VOA that the recent Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement between North Korea and Russia could “enable more mutual support between Russia and North Korea, potentially advancing North Korea’s capabilities in ICBMs and nuclear weapons by adopting advanced Russian technologies.”
Earlier, the White House released satellite imagery showing scenes at Rajin Port, where around 300 maritime shipping containers, each approximately 20 feet in standard size, were loaded. This followed their assertion in October 2023 that North Korea had provided Russia with over 1,000 containers worth of military equipment and ammunition.
According to VOA, since a large ship was spotted here on August 26, 2023, an estimated 26 ships have entered and exited this area by the end of 2023. Ship arrivals and departures were confirmed approximately every three days in January and February this year.