The GUR has discovered new Western components in a North Korean missile.

New foreign components have been discovered in the North Korean weapons used by Russia against Ukraine. This was reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate on Monday, November 25.

The intelligence published a list of components found in the North Korean ballistic missile KN-23/KN-24. Foreign parts produced in five countries were detected in the armament:

• China
• USA
• Japan
• United Kingdom
• Switzerland

“At least one of them—a voltage converter marked by the British manufacturer XP Power—was produced in February 2023, after the beginning of the full-scale invasion,” the press service of the GUR reported.

The intelligence service noted that North Korea, in collaboration with Russia and Iran, is using schemes to bypass international sanctions to acquire components for its missiles. Over a hundred North Korean rockets, which included dual-use foreign parts, were handed over to the Russians back in 2023.

To service the launch systems and train Russian soldiers, North Korea sent its military specialists, who “effectively participated in war crimes against Ukraine,” according to the GUR. The occupiers began using these missiles at the end of 2023, targeting the civilian population.

In particular, the GUR press service recalled the attacks on Kyiv by North Korean missiles—on January 2, 2024, a missile struck a residential building, resulting in four fatalities, and on August 11, 2024, debris from a KN-23/KN-24 killed a four-year-old boy and his father.

It is worth noting that in February 2024, British researchers from Conflict Armament Research (CAR) discovered that the North Korean missile that attacked Kharkiv in January contained hundreds of parts from American and European companies. In total, the researchers examined 290 parts of the North Korean missile—75% of the components were developed and sold by companies registered in the USA. Another 16% of components were produced in Europe, while 9% were manufactured in Asia.