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| ▲ South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin (R) stands alongside Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa (C) and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken ahead of their meeting held on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Sept. 23, 2023, in this file photo provided by Seoul's foreign ministry. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
(2nd LD) S Korea-US-Japan-NK arms deal
(2nd LD) S. Korea, U.S., Japan jointly condemn N. Korea's arms transfers to Russia
(ATTN: ADDS Seoul foreign ministry's comments last 3 paras)
By Kim Seung-yeon
SEOUL, Oct. 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korea, the United States and Japan issued a joint statement Thursday condemning North Korea's provision of military equipment and munitions to Russia, saying they have confirmed some of such weapons deliveries.
The statement came after Washington revealed that Pyongyang had sent over 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Moscow for use in its war in Ukraine, as North's leader Kim Jong-un held a rare summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin last month.
The three countries "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," said the statement issued under the names of their top diplomats, referring to the North by its official name.
"Such weapons deliveries, several of which we now confirm have been completed, will significantly increase the human toll of Russia's war of aggression. We will continue to work together with the international community to expose Russia's attempts to acquire military equipment from the DPRK," it said.
In return for such a supply of weapons, North Korea is seeking military assistance to advance its own military capabilities, the statement said, stressing that arms transfers to or from the North would violate multiple U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, which Russia itself has voted for.
"We are deeply concerned about the potential for any transfer of nuclear- or ballistic missile-related technology to the DPRK," the statement said.
"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," it said.
The three countries urged the North and Russia to abide by relevant UNSC resolutions and immediately cease all activities that violate them.
"(Arms transfers) necessitate renewed efforts to respond appropriately across all elements of our national power to the advancing DPRK WMD (weapons of mass destruction) threat," the statement said.
Seoul's foreign ministry said the arms transfer disclosed by the U.S. was a matter that the allies had been monitoring.
"It was a matter that we had continued to keep track of in coordination with the U.S.," ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk said in a press briefing, without elaborating.
The joint statement was issued to show that the three countries "take the matter seriously" and their "resolute commitment" to responding to any military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow, Lim added.
(END)
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