North Korean Missile Debris Reveals Use of Multiple Western-Made Components

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) – North Korea has used various components manufactured by Western companies in the production of missiles supplied to Russia, which were deployed against Ukraine in September.

A report by an independent Ukrainian investigative body reveals North Korea’s success in circumventing international economic sanctions to continue advancing its ballistic missile program.

The Ukrainian independent body analyzed remnants of North Korea’s KN23/24 missiles, discovered by its members in Myrne and Bilyky in the Poltava region, after Russia launched them on September 7.

These KN23/24 missiles, known as Hwasong-11A or Hwasong-11B in North Korea, were found to contain Western-made electronic components from at least nine companies based in Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.

Some of these components were manufactured recently, between 2023 and 2024, while others date back to 2021.

The Ukrainian investigative body stated that the presence of Western-made components proves North Korea has successfully acquired critical, newly-manufactured microelectronics for producing missiles intended for use against Ukraine.

This also underscores the failure of existing international sanctions in deterring North Korea from developing ballistic missiles.

“All entities involved in the development and export of North Korea’s weapons must be exposed and penalized. North Korea’s arms exports must cease,” stated the Ukrainian investigative body, named “NAKO.”

NAKO has identified the Western companies whose components were used by North Korea in its missile development:

– Diodes Inc., Bourns, Broadcom, Analog Devices, and Avago** from the United States;
– NXP from the Netherlands;
– Traco Power and STMicroelectronics from Switzerland;
– XP Power from the United Kingdom.

The Ukrainian investigative body suspects that XP Power’s “isolate power converters” were manufactured last year, with North Korea believed to have obtained them in 2023 and 2024.

Meanwhile, U.S.-based companies Avago and Analog Devices have developed microchips and conversion boards found in North Korean missiles.

Military analyst Joost Oliemans confirmed the accuracy of the Ukrainian independent body’s analysis, based on fragments of the North Korean Hwasong-11B missile recovered on September 7.

The KN-23/24 missiles, produced by North Korea, have a range of up to 690 km, and analysts noted that their trajectory poses challenges for Ukraine’s air defense systems to intercept.

The analysis by the Ukrainian independent body aligns with findings from Conflict Armament Research (CAR), published in February this year, regarding North Korea’s KN-23/KN-24 missiles used by Russia against Ukrainian forces in Kharkiv.

 

CAR investigators noted in their report that North Korea has an extensive international network to obtain components from Western companies based across several European countries.

This supply network has been instrumental in helping Pyongyang evade international arms sanctions to acquire the critical electronic components essential for advancing its missile program. — DSA