Recently, a video surfaced online showing yet another convoy of weapons and military equipment from North Korea, allegedly captured in the Tyumen region. This video is intriguing for two main reasons. First, the footage reveals at least 10 self-propelled 170-mm artillery systems M1989 "Koksan," and over the past few days, this marks the second convoy with this weapon observed in Russia.
Secondly, in addition to the "Koksan" SPGs, the video also features five units of weaponry that can likely be identified as the Pukguksong-2 medium-range ballistic missile launchers, known in American classification as KN-15 or "Polar Star."
Of course, it cannot be stated with absolute certainty that this is indeed the missile until clearer images or official comments emerge. However, there remains a high probability that North Korea and Russia have agreed on bolstering Russian occupying forces with more weaponry and a broader range of arms.
Like most of the weaponry in North Korea, the Pukguksong-2/KN-15 missile was developed under conditions of heightened secrecy, and as a result, the data regarding its tactical and technical characteristics is quite conditional, particularly concerning the range of this ballistic missile.
For instance, public sources mention a working range of about 1200-1300 km, while some sources claim it to be around 2000 km, and occasionally figures exceeding 3000 km are cited, although such numbers are likely nothing more than propagandistic fantasies.
The Pukguksong-2 missile is essentially the ground variant of the Pukguksong-1 ballistic missile, which is designed for launches from submarines. Unofficial reports suggest that the development of the Pukguksong-2 missile may have begun as early as before 2014, but the total time taken to create this missile remains unknown.
It is possible that tests of the Pukguksong-2 missile took place as early as 2016, but they were unsuccessful and were not officially confirmed by the North Korean authorities. In contrast, during tests in February 2017, the missile flew approximately 500 km and reached a maximum altitude of 550 km—at that time, North Korean media officially announced the testing of the Pukguksong-2, although South Korean intelligence initially considered options for testing the Nodong or Musudan.
Later that same year, another missile was launched, reportedly achieving similar range and altitude, after which a "green light" was given for mass production of this missile. In 2019, information was confirmed regarding the deployment of this missile at North Korean missile bases.
The Pukguksong-2 is a solid-fuel two-stage missile. Its dimensions are approximately 9 m in length and 1.5 m in diameter. Regarding the launcher, a tracked chassis was selected, considering North Korea's terrain.
If North Korea has indeed transferred its Pukguksong-2 ballistic missiles to Russia, this move could serve a purely pragmatic purpose for North Korea: to test the effectiveness of its missile systems directly in the battlefield, especially given that experts currently note the low effectiveness of another North Korean weapon, the KN-23, which Russia effectively uses as a weapon of terror.