SEOUL: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said UN member states enforcing the Korean War armistice are concerned that China and Russia are helping North Korea expand its military capabilities by enabling Pyongyang to evade UN sanctions.
Austin was speaking at a meeting in South Korea with defence ministers and representatives from the 17 countries that make up the UN Command (UNC) – the body that oversees the armistice.
“We are deeply concerned that the PRC and Russia are helping the DPRK expand its capabilities by enabling it to evade sanctions from the UN Security Council,” Lloyd Austin said, referring to the People’s Republic of China and North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
“We’re also troubled by the recent growth in military cooperation between Russia and the DPRK,” Lloyd Austin said.
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Washington has accused North Korea of supplying military equipment to Russia for use in its war with Ukraine, and Moscow of providing technical military support to help the North.
North Korea and Russia have denied any arms deals, though their leaders pledged closer military cooperation when they met in September in Russia’s far east.
China, North Korea’s closest ally, has said it was complying with international obligations.
The UNC is expected on Tuesday to renew a pledge to respond to any North Korean aggression and to adopt a joint statement on a united response in the event of a “contingency” on the Korean peninsula, South Korea’s defence ministry has said.
Defence Minister Shin Won-sik said Pyongyang had been warned not to attempt any aggressive acts, noting that unlike in 1950, when the Korean War broke out, North Korea is now a member state of the United Nations.
