North Korea improved its ballistic missiles after their use in Ukraine

North Korea improved its missile technology after using Ukraine as a testing ground for its weapons according to the head of Ukrainian intelligence Kyrylo Budanov.

While speaking with the South Korean news outlet Chosun Ilbo, Budanov revealed that North Korea was able to fix a flaw in its KN-23 ballistic missile after its use in Ukraine. 

"Initially, its accuracy was severely flawed, with an error margin of 500 to 1,500 meters," Budanov said during an interview published on February 18th, Business Insider reported. 

“But Russian missile experts made technical modifications, resolving the issue,” added Budanov. “The missile is now significantly more precise and a far greater threat."

North Korea’s KN-23, also known as the Hwasong-11A, is a short-range ballistic missile that has an operational range of 690 kilometers (428 miles) and was first tested by Pyongyang in May 2019 according to Missile Threat. 

The KN-23 is similar in appearance to the Russian Iskander-M but it is unclear if it was developed with help from Russia. It can carry a 500 kilogram (1100 pound) warhead. 

"North Korea is using this war to gain combat experience and modernize its military technology," Budanov told Chosun Ilbo. "This will have lasting consequences for the security landscape in the Asia-Pacific region.”

On February 23rd, Budanov reiterated his claims about the improvement of the KN-23 at the ‘Ukraine: Year 2025’ forum, noting the missile's accuracy has vastly improved. 

"The first launches showed the missile's low accuracy,” Budanov explained. “Afterwards. Russian specialists helped with modernization, making the missiles' accuracy more acceptable,” he continued according to the New Voice of Ukraine. 

During an interview with The War Zone published on January 22nd, Budanov revealed North Korea had provided 148 KN-23 missiles to Moscow in 2024 and that he expected that Russia would be supplied with 150 more in 2025.

It is unclear how many KN-23 missiles Pyongyang has given Russia in total. But we do know that Moscow has been using the KN-23 against Ukrainian targets since 2023. 

Euromaidan Press noted that the first confirmed use of a North Korean KN-23 occurred in December 2023. This was followed by more strikes against Kharkiv in January 2024. 

Never miss a story! Click here to follow The Daily Digest.