S. Korea, US condemn N. Korea’s transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia

South Korean National Security Office Chief Chang Ho-jin and U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan discussed a series of North Korea’s recent provocations during their first phone call on Tuesday and condemned in the strongest possible terms North Korea’s transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia.

According to the White House, Chang and Sullivan shared evaluations on North Korean provocations, including the country’s artillery fire in the Yellow Sea, and agreed that military cooperation between the North and Russia is a serious matter. They noted that the transfer and use of these weapons in Ukraine violates multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions and has significant security implications for Europe, the Korean Peninsula, and the Indo-Pacific region. The two agreed to continue close cooperation in support of Ukraine in light of growing North Korea-Russia cooperation.

Foreign ministers of 47 countries, including South Korea and the U.S., made a joint statement that condemned in the strongest terms North Korea’s export of ballistic missiles and Russia’s use of these missiles against Ukraine. The joint statement was made a day before the U.N. Security Council will discuss North Korea’s provision of ballistic missiles to Russia.

“Russia’s use of North Korean ballistic missiles in Ukraine also provides valuable technical and military insights to the North,” said the joint statement. “We are deeply concerned about the security implications that this cooperation has. We are closely monitoring what Russia provides to the North in return for these weapons exports.”


weappon@donga.com