In a joint statement issued on Thursday, South Korea, Japan, and the United States united in strong condemnation of North Korea's supply of arms and military equipment to Russia. The statement revealed that they had verified "several" instances of such weapons deliveries.
Reports indicating the transfer of arms from North Korea to Russia for use in Russia's conflict with Ukraine had surfaced, despite denials from both Russia and North Korea. These reports, confirmed by Washington and researchers, pointed to the movement of vessels carrying containers that were believed to contain weapons between the ports of the two countries.
While the exact contents of these shipments could not be confirmed, it was noted that containers from North Korea were later observed being delivered to a Russian munitions storage facility near the Ukraine border.
The statement declared, "The Republic of Korea, United States, and Japan strongly condemn the provision of military equipment and munitions by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to the Russian Federation for use against the government and people of Ukraine."
It was stressed that the weapons deliveries, several of which have now been verified, would significantly escalate the human cost of Russia's aggressive war.
North Korea's motive for supplying arms to Russia was identified as an attempt to seek military assistance from Russia, reciprocating Russia's support in enhancing North Korea's military capabilities.
The statement emphasized that close monitoring of any materials provided by Russia to the DPRK in support of Pyongyang's military goals was ongoing. It underlined that any arms transactions with North Korea were in violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, which Moscow itself had voted in favor of.
North Korea and Russia had pledged increased military cooperation when their leaders met in September in Russia's Far East. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's recent meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un also included discussions on implementing the agreements established during the summit.
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