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| Wednesday, 10 March 2004 |
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South Korea to deploy Russian Banks along inter-Korean border SEOUL, Tuesday (AFP) South Korea will deploy a battalion of Russian tanks and armored vehicles for the first time along the border with North Korea, military officials said Tuesday. The deployment of T-80 U tanks and BMP-3 combat vehicles will bolster South Korea's capability to deter any aggression by North Korea, which relies on Russian-built weapons for its ground forces, the defense ministry said. "This will be the first deployment of Russian weapons in front-line areas," a ministry official told AFP. North Korea deploys more than 6,000 tanks and armored vehicles along the heavily armed border with South Korea. The two Koreas are still technically at war. T-62 tanks and BMP series vehicles are the mainstream of North Korean ground forces, while South Korea is heavily dependent on US-designed equipment. South Korea began purchasing Russian weapons in 1996 in repayment in kind to offset part of a loan to the former Soviet Union. As of June last year, Russia has paid back 460 million in its debt service to South Korea in the form of military equipment and raw materials including uranium. South Korea agreed last year to write off 660 million dollars of the amount due and will allow the remaining 1.58 billion dollars in principal and overdue interest to be repaid over the next 23 years. |
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