North Korea may be prepared to provide Russia with a new type of missile and could conduct further weapon tests to escalate tensions ahead of elections in South Korea and the United States, says South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik. The head of the defense ministry noted that North Korea may conduct tests of solid-fuel medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) as early as January and launch a long-range missile at a normal angle to escalate tensions ahead of the crucial elections in South Korea and the United States. “North Korea first test-fired a close-range ballistic missile in April 20…