South Korea's defense chief said Russia is unlikely to transfer all its cutting-edge military technologies to North Korea, even if Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the North this week.

In an interview with Bloomberg on Monday, Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said it remains unclear whether Putin will transfer Moscow's most advanced military technologies to Pyongyang, adding that “the chances are very small.”

The minister said the transfer of Russia's state-of-the-art technologies would signify its complete loss of influence over the North, and that Moscow will highly likely keep the technology transfer as a last resort. Shin added that Pyongyang is not believed to have a lot to offer to entice Moscow to give it up.

Regarding the North's failed launch of a military spy satellite late last month, the minister said although Russia has seemingly provided a new engine technology, the launch could have ended in failure due to problems in system integration.

He added that Pyongyang is believed to be continuing with its engine tests, which will likely be followed by another launch attempt during the second half of the year.