US, allies condemn alleged North Korean supply of munitions to Russia

The United States, Japan and South Korea issued a joint statement Wednesday strongly condemning North Korea for allegedly supplying Russia with munitions “for use against the government and people of Ukraine.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Yōko Kamikawa and South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin said they have confirmed several weapon deliveries have been completed and warned the weapons will have devastating effects on the death toll in Ukraine.

“We will continue to work together with the international community to expose Russia’s attempts to acquire military equipment from the DPRK,” they wrote in the statement, using the initials of North Korea’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. “In the face of Russia’s attempt to prolong the war with assistance from the DPRK, we remain resolved to support Ukraine’s sovereignty and its efforts to counter the effects of Russia’s war of aggression.”

The top diplomats also warned they were “deeply concerned” that North Korea, in exchange for its support, could acquire nuclear or ballistic missiles from Russia. 

They stressed that any arms transfers to North Korea would violate multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, and they called on the two authoritarian nations to “immediately cease all activities that violate them.”

“Such transfers would jeopardize the ongoing efforts of the international community to keep sensitive technologies out of the hands of actors who are working to destabilize regional security, threaten peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula as well as across the globe,” the officials wrote.

The group added that such weapons transfers would “necessitate renewed efforts to respond appropriately across all elements of our national power to the advancing DPRK [weapons of mass destruction] threat.”

The joint statement comes amid heightened tensions between North Korea and the allied democratic countries.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has repeatedly warned against an increased U.S. presence in the nearby sea and has characterized the uptick in coordinated military drills and fortified naval defenses as the West’s effort to temp nuclear warfare. 

In response to the joint statement, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reportedly refused to comment on whether the weapons deliveries have occurred. Peskov reaffirmed the “close relations” with North Korea.

“North Korea is our neighbor and we continue and will continue to develop close relations in all areas,” he said, according to Reuters.