South Korea, US, and Japan Condemn North Korea’s Alleged Supply of Munitions to Russia – The Diplomat

South Korea, america, and Japan strongly condemned what they name North Korea’s provide of munitions and army tools to Russia, saying Thursday that such weapons shipments sharply improve the human toll of Russia’s battle in Ukraine.

A joint assertion by the highest diplomats of South Korea, the U.S., and Japan got here days after Russia’s overseas minister scoffed at a current U.S. declare that his nation obtained munitions from North Korea, saying that Washington has did not show the allegation.

“We are going to proceed to work along with the worldwide neighborhood to show Russia’s makes an attempt to accumulate army tools from [North Korea],” mentioned the joint assertion by South Korean International Minister Park Jin, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Japanese International Minister Kamikawa Yoko.

“Such weapons deliveries, a number of of which we now affirm have been accomplished, will considerably improve the human toll of Russia’s battle of aggression,” it mentioned.

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The joint assertion was meant to indicate the three international locations’ resolve to actively reply to a weapons switch deal that Russia and North Korea have been pursuing in defiance of repeated warnings by the worldwide neighborhood, South Korean International Ministry spokesperson Lim Soosuk instructed reporters.

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North Korea and Russia – each locked in separate confrontations with the U.S. and its allies – have just lately taken steps to strengthen their army ties. Hypothesis about North Korea’s provision of standard arms to refill Russia’s exhausted weapons shops flared final month, when North Korean chief Kim Jong Un traveled to Russia’s Far East to satisfy President Vladimir Putin and go to key army services.

The USA, South Korea, and others imagine North Korea seeks to obtain subtle weapons applied sciences from Russia to reinforce its nuclear program in alternate for its munitions provide.

Throughout his go to to Pyongyang final week, Russian International Minister Sergey Lavrov mentioned in a reception speech that Russia valued North Korea’s “unwavering” assist for its battle on Ukraine. After returning to Moscow, Lavrov dismissed the U.S. accusation of the North Korean arms transfers, saying that “the People preserve accusing everybody.”

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“I don’t touch upon rumors,” he mentioned, in line with Russian state media.

Earlier this month, the White Home mentioned that North Korea had delivered greater than 1,000 containers of army tools and munitions to Russia. The White Home launched photos that it mentioned confirmed the containers had been loaded onto a Russian-flagged ship earlier than being moved by way of practice to southwestern Russia.

Thursday’s Seoul-Washington-Tokyo assertion mentioned the three international locations are carefully monitoring for any supplies that Russia gives to North Korea in assist of the North’s army aims.

“We’re deeply involved concerning the potential for any switch of nuclear- or ballistic missile-related expertise to [North Korea],” the assertion mentioned. It famous arms transfers to and from North Korea would violate U.N. Safety Council resolutions, which Russia, a everlasting Safety Council member, beforehand voted for.

Since final yr, North Korea has carried out greater than 100 missile exams, a lot of them designed to simulate nuclear assaults on South Korea and america. Specialists say Russia’s provision of high-tech weapons applied sciences would assist Kim construct far more dependable nuclear weapons techniques.

Among the many army property North Korea reportedly desires to fabricate with Russian help are spy satellites. Two current North Korean makes an attempt to put a spy satellite tv for pc into orbit failed for technical causes, and North Korea vowed a 3rd launch in October. However South Korea’s Unification Ministry mentioned Thursday there have been no indicators of an impending launch on the North’s principal launch facility.

In response to North Korea’s rising nuclear functionality, the U.S. and South Korea have been increasing their common army drills and restoring some trilateral coaching involving Japan. Earlier this week, the South Korean, U.S., and Japanese militaries performed their first-ever trilateral aerial train close to the Korean Peninsula.

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On Thursday, South Korea’s navy mentioned it has been holding a large-scale maritime drill off the Korean Peninsula’s west coast this week as a part of broader annual army coaching. This yr’s maritime drill, which includes live-firing workouts, drew U.S. army helicopters and patrol plane as properly, in line with a navy assertion.

North Korea didn’t instantly touch upon the drill. But it surely has beforehand slammed South Korea-U.S. workouts as invasion rehearsals and responded with missile exams.