North Korea Buying Su-30s?

Sorry if this is “old” news, but it’s the first time I’ve read about a possible Su-30 purchase:

North Korea is likely to seek sustained military and security co-operation
with Russia as the reclusive nation desperately needs Moscow’s political
support, according to the Institute for Foreign Affairs and National
Security, but it may remain limited.
    
In a recent Policy Brief report, the institute, an organ of the Foreign
Affairs-Trade Ministry, alleged that North Korea will attempt to solidify
political and diplomatic ties with Russia “in order to deflect pressure from
the Bush administration.”
    
Among others factors it cited were North Korea’s Russian arms. But due to
its own economic crisis, and distant relations with Moscow, North Korea has
not modernised any of its weapons for the past several years even though it
faces great pressure to do so.
    
North Korea currently has some 500 combat aircraft, but the majority are outdated. To rectify this problem, North Korea is now purchasing almost state-of-the-art Sukhoi Su-30 fighters from Russia.
    
“We cannot rule out the possibility that North Korean-Russian military and security co-operation will ultimately concern the South Korean government,” it added.
    
“Russia will try to play a role in the South-North reconciliation process, however, and should North Korean-U.S. and North Korean-Japan relations continue to drift, Russia’s leverage in Korean affairs will increase,” it noted.
    
It added that Russia will not undermine Korean peninsular security and peace for now by selling advanced attack weapons to, or jointly producing weapons with, North Korea.

Source: Korea Information Service (December 18th, 2002)
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Steve Rush Touchdown-News

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