United States and South Korea Condemn North Korea’s Role in Russian Missiles for Ukraine

United States and South Korea

United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and South Korea’s new National Security Office Chief Jang Ho-jin called on Tuesday (January 9) to discuss North Korea-related developments, including North Korea’s increasing military cooperation with Russia and the provocative actions in the demilitarized zone.

According to a press release issued by the White House that day, the two officials condemned, in the strongest terms, North Korea’s transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia and Russia’s use of these missiles to attack Ukraine. They pointed out that the transfer and use of these weapons have exacerbated the suffering of the Ukrainian people, violated multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, undermined the global non-proliferation regime, and had major security implications for Europe, the Korean Peninsula, and the Indo-Pacific region. .

In view of the continued development of cooperation between North Korea and Russia, the United States and South Korea are committed to continuing to work closely to support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. They also pledged to maintain close cooperation in addressing common security challenges to enhance peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region and globally.

The United States State Department also issued a joint statement on Tuesday from more than 40 countries and regions, including the United States and the European Union, making the strongest condemnation of North Korea’s provision of missiles to Russia.

The statement said, “We condemn in the strongest possible terms North Korea’s export of ballistic missiles and Russia’s purchase of missiles and their use against Ukraine on December 30, 2023, and January 2, 2024.” The statement noted that the transfer of these weapons has intensified It has contributed to the suffering of the Ukrainian people, supported Russia’s war of aggression, and undermined the global non-proliferation regime. The statement said, “Russia’s use of North Korean ballistic missiles in Ukraine also provides North Korea with valuable technical and military insights. We are deeply concerned about the security implications of this cooperation in Europe, the Korean Peninsula, the entire Indo-Pacific region, and globally.”

The joint statement of the United States and South Korea stated that multiple governments stand together and resolutely oppose arms transfers between North Korea and Russia. North Korea’s transfer of ballistic missiles and any other weapons and related materials to Russia is a blatant violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, and Russia itself has supported these relevant resolutions.

The statement said, “We are paying close attention to what Russia provides to North Korea in return for these arms exports. We call on North Korea and Russia to abide by relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and immediately stop all actions that violate the resolutions”; as Russia continues to attack Ukraine one after another missile and drone attacks, countries will continue to unanimously support Ukraine while calling on North Korea to return to diplomatic negotiations.

According to intelligence received by the White House, United States the Russian military launched at least one missile provided by North Korea on December 30 and landed in Zaporozhye Oblast, Ukraine. On January 2, Russia also launched “multiple” North Korean missiles into Ukraine. Ballistic missiles, one of the largest attacks of the war.

Senior Ukrainian official Mykhailo Podolyak said last week that “for the first time, the Russian Federation hit Ukrainian territory using missiles obtained from North Korea.” Although he did not give evidence that the missiles came from North Korea, Ukraine The governor of the northeastern region of Kharkiv said the missile launched by Russia and hitting the region “was not made in Russia.”

Moscow and Pyongyang both deny the accusations of arms transfers.

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