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| ▲ U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (3rd from R, front row), South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik (3rd from L, front row) and other participants applaud at the defense ministerial meeting of South Korean and the United Nations Command member states held at Seoul's defense ministry on Nov. 14, 2023. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) |
US official-N Korea
Austin expresses concerns over growing military ties between N. Korea, Russia
By Kim Eun-jung and Chae Yun-hwan
SEOUL, Nov. 14 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Tuesday expressed concerns over North Korea's growing nuclear and cyber threats, and its expanding military cooperation with Russia for its war in Ukraine.
The Pentagon chief used his speech to the defense ministerial meeting with the United Nations Command (UNC) and South Korea during his Seoul visit to address growing North Korean threats and call for closer cooperation among the UNC member states.
Austin said North Korea is supplying "lethal aid" to Russia to fuel its war in Ukraine, while Russia is providing more support in "wide-ranging illicit activities."
"We are also troubled by the recent growth in military cooperation between Russia and DPRK," Austin said, referring to North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The remark comes as the North is believed to be in the final stage of preparations to make a third attempt to launch a military spy satellite after two failures earlier this year. Seoul officials said Russia's technological assistance could help the North succeed in the upcoming launch.
The U.S. official criticized China and Russia, two permanent members of the U.N. Security Council with veto power, for helping Pyongyang by refusing to hold it accountable for recent provocations.
"We are deeply concerned that the PRC and Russia are helping the DPRK to expand its capabilities by enabling it to evade sanctions from the U.N. Security Council," Austin said, referring to China's official name, People's Republic of China.
In this vein, Austin praised the UNC's role in promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula over the past 70 years and called for closer cooperation among member states to help deter North Korea's provocations.
"Today we have come together to shore up security for the next 70 years and our shared commitment for the defense of the Republic of Korea, and the peace and stability on this peninsula will remain vital," he said.
During the inaugural meeting, Defense Minister Shin Won-sik shared Austin's concerns and issued warnings against Pyongyang.
"I warn North Korea. Now as a U.N. member, engaging in illegal aggression against the UNC will be a self-contradiction," Shin said in a remark.
If North Korea makes a provocation, Shin said its regime will face "strong retaliation" from the international community with the UNC member states at the center.
"If countries that assisted North Korea during the Korean War decide to support it again, they will face consequences similar to those of North Korea," Shin said, apparently referring to China and Russia.
"This meeting will serve as a powerful warning to countries or groups attempting to reject the international order based on rules and seeking to change the status quo through force," he added.
The UNC was established in July 1950 under a U.N. mandate to support South Korea against North Korea's aggression and has been overseeing the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War.
On Monday, North Korea renewed its calls for dissolving the UNC, denouncing the meeting between South Korea and the UNC member states as a "dangerous" scheme to spark a "new war of aggression" against Pyongyang.
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