Seoul, Nov 23 (EFE).- Russia helped North Korea in the successful launch of its first spy satellite, according to the parliamentary intelligence committee on Thursday.

The assessment was made by the National Intelligence Service during a closed-door meeting of the committee, said Yoo Sang-bum, a member of the committee.

“There is intelligence that the North provided blueprints and data related to the vehicles used in its first and second attempts and Russia provided its analysis,” Yoo said.

Pyongyang successfully launched a reconnaissance satellite on Tuesday after two failed attempts in May and August.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in September at Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome.

Both parties reportedly agreed that Pyongyang would receive technical assistance from Moscow in the aerospace field in exchange for weapons to fight the Ukraine war.

Seoul and Washington have released images showing the shipment of thousands of North Korean containers at the Russia-Ukraine border where more than a million rounds of artillery and other types of weapons are stored.

While Pyongyang’s satellite is believed to capture images at a lower resolution than those from other countries, its launch represents a major leap for the hermetic country.

The North Korean leader has said the country plans to launch more reconnaissance satellites soon to create a robust surveillance network. EFE

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