North Korea is reported to be assembling MiG-29s from parts imported from Russia

Published: 9/7/1999

Despite the protests of both the Japanese and South Korean governments to Kazakhstan, concerning the illegal export of MiG-21s to North Korea (www.concise.org 26th August 1999), North Korea is reported to be assembling 10 MiG-29s, with parts acquired from Russia. The reports, from South Korean defence sources, have confirmed to the local press that North Korea is trying to increase its already substantial MiG-29 force of 30 aircraft. Assuming that the trade is known to the respective government departments, it seems a strange development in Russo-Japanese and South Korean relations, which the Russians have been assiduously cultivating. South Korea has even offered to buy Russian submarines and helicopters to offset Russia's considerable debts to the country. If the sale of the aircraft parts was not officially sanctioned, it resurrects the issue of 'rogue' elements within the defence industries making illegal exports, which has been a subject of some concern for intelligence agencies, such as the CIA, for some time (www.concise.org 30th January 1999). So far, Russia has denied such sales, but accepts that they might conceivably happen. The sale of such a large number of MiG-29s, even in parts, is a considerable oversight on the part of the authorities and one that will serve to fuel concern about the ability of the Russian government to control its military industrial complex. Given the cost of the aircraft, the question as to how Korea can pay for it, given its current financial condition, is also being posed in intelligence circles. It is unlikely that the planes will have been in the same price range as crated MiG-21s, which Concise understands can be bought very cheaply for 'self assembly'.

Article ID: 838