South Korea’s defense ministry demanded that North Korea “immediately” cease all arms sales on Monday, in response to the first confirmation that DPRK rockets have appeared on the battlefield in Ukraine.

The Financial Times (FT) reported on Friday that Ukrainian forces operating Soviet-era Grad multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS) have confirmed they are using North Korean rockets, with Kyiv implying it captured the arms from the Russian military.

Asked about the report on Monday, ROK defense ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyu emphasized that DPRK arms transactions are “prohibited under U.N. Security Council resolutions.”

“The South Korean government maintains that the illegal arms