U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned what he said was the “growing and dangerous” military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, following reports that Pyongyang is supplying weapons for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
“This is a matter of deep concern for both of us, as well as for other countries around the world,” Blinken said at a press conference in Seoul after meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin.
South Korea’s top spy agency believes North Korea has sent more than a million artillery shells to Moscow since the beginning of August – which it says amounts to roughly two months’ worth of supply for Russia's war.
In return, Blinken said Russia is providing “technology and support” for North Korea’s military programs – though he did not elaborate.
“We have real concerns about any support for North Korea’s ballistic missile programs, for its nuclear technology, for its space launch capacity,” Blinken said.
Blinken said the United States, South Korea and other countries will continue efforts to “identify, expose, and counter” the Russian-North Korean military transactions, including by intensifying pressure at the United Nations Security Council.
During a September meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Russia’s Far East, Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to confirm Moscow was helping Pyongyang build satellites – though Putin did acknowledge “certain restrictions” may complicate such cooperation.
North Korea has attempted to launch a military spy satellite twice this year. Both attempts failed. South Korean military officials expect Pyongyang may try again later this month, possibly after incorporating Russian help.
Some analysts fear Russian support for North Korea’s nuclear program may expand in even more dangerous ways. American nuclear expert Siegried Hecker, who has visited North Korean nuclear sites, recently expressed concerns that Moscow could provide fissile material to help fulfill Kim’s commitment to exponentially increase production of nuclear weapons.
Both Russia and North Korea have denied Pyongyang is sending arms for use in Russia’s war in Ukraine. However, publicly available satellite photos appear to show repeated shipments from North Korean to Russian ports. Those shipments then appear to end up at a Russian ammunition depot only 200 kilometers from Russia’s border with Ukraine.
It’s not clear what the United States and its allies can do to stop such activity. Virtually all weapons transactions with North Korea are already barred under a series of U.N. Security Council resolutions first put in place over its nuclear weapons program in 2006. Russia once supported those resolutions, but has since implied they are out of date. Moscow now opposes additional sanctions on North Korea, saying the United States should take the first step in any process leading toward denuclearization.
During Blinken’s trip to Seoul, he also met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. The two men “committed to continuing close cooperation on extended deterrence,” according to a U.S. State Department readout of the meeting.
Since Yoon took office last year, Washington and Seoul have expanded the frequency, intensity and visibility of their defense cooperation – to send a tough message to North Korea and to reassure South Koreans of the U.S. defense commitment.
Those deterrence efforts will only be reinforced by continued North Korea-Russia military cooperation, Blinken insisted Thursday.
