Image Credits-NDTV
Japan and South Korea have rolled out new sanctions targeting entities and individuals linked to the alleged transfer of weapons and munitions from North Korea to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine.
The coordinated moves on Friday signal growing frustration in Tokyo and Seoul over Pyongyang’s suspected role in supplying the Russian military despite longstanding U.N. prohibitions.
Japan said it was freezing the assets of 11 Russian organizations and one individual accused of involvement in receiving military assistance from North Korea to aid Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
According to Japan’s Asahi Shimbun, the sanctions target nine Russian firms and an executive, as well as two Cyprus-based companies allegedly involved in transporting the North Korean munitions.
Not to be outdone, South Korea also announced its own new sanctions designations to stamp out North Korea’s illegal weapons trade and block its revenue streams.
Seoul did not publicly identify the targets but said “Companies, individuals, ships and strategic items suspected of being involved have been added to the sanctions list.
The allied efforts come days before the leaders of South Korea, Japan and China are set to meet in Seoul for a long-delayed trilateral summit focused on regional security and economic cooperation.
Recent months have seen a flurry of fresh accusations that Pyongyang has begun supplying cheap munitions and rockets to Russian forces struggling with depleted stockpiles in Ukraine. Both Moscow and Pyongyang have officially denied the claims.
However, U.S. officials estimate North Korea has already shipped millions of artillery shells, as well as longer-range ammunition across the Russian border for use against Ukrainian troops.
Commercial satellite imagery has also detected North Korean weapons shipments being transferred to Russia’s military via the Middle East and North Africa, according to some reports.
With no letup in fighting across Ukraine, concerns are growing that Russia could leverage the North Korean pipeline to prolong the grinding conflict.
Both Japan and South Korea had already imposed sweeping sanctions over North Korea’s nuclear program and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Friday’s targeted penalties aim to disrupt the suspected illicit arms supply chain fueling Moscow’s war.