The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed strong disapproval of the \u201cescalating and concerning\u201d military collaboration between North Korea and Russia, particularly in light of reports indicating that Pyongyang is providing arms for Moscow\u2019s conflict in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
South Korea\u2019s principal intelligence agency asserts that North Korea has dispatched over a million artillery shells to Moscow since the start of August, equivalent to about two months\u2019 worth of supplies for Russia\u2019s war. Blinken mentioned that Russia is offering \u201ctechnology and assistance\u201d to North Korea\u2019s military initiatives, without providing further details.<\/p>\n
In recent weeks, the United States, South Korea, and Japan have consistently voiced criticism of North Korea for its assistance to Russia in the conflict in Ukraine. They point to the movements of cargo from North Korea to Russia as evidence of this claim. Despite denials from both North Korea and Russia about any arms deals, their leaders pledged closer military cooperation during their meeting in Russia\u2019s Far East in September.<\/p>\n
Blinken described this relationship as a \u201ctwo-way street,\u201d where North Korea supplies military equipment to Russia for its conflict in Ukraine, and Russia, in return, offers technical support to aid North Korea\u2019s military advancements.<\/p>\n
Blinken expressed concern about the security of the Korean Peninsula, global non-proliferation regimes, Russian aggression towards Ukraine, and the violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions. He emphasized the gravity of these concerns.<\/p>\n
South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin highlighted that China could have a positive and constructive role in addressing the tensions arising from the relationship between North Korea and Russia. She characterized these tensions as not aligning with Beijing\u2019s interests.<\/p>\n
The Relationship Between Hamas and North Korea<\/strong><\/p>\n In Japan, on Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and fellow foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G-7) criticized North Korea for violating UN Security Council resolutions through the transfer of arms to Russia. The G-7 ministers also called for temporary ceasefires in the conflict between Israel and Hamas to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza\u2019s civilians, given a month of Israeli military operations.<\/p>\n