U.S. diplomat says Washington will explore 'array of tools' against N. Korea-Russia arms trade

▲ Yuri Kim, principal deputy assistant secretary at the State Department's Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, speaks during a forum hosted by the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI) in Washington on Dec. 11, 2023 in this photo captured during streamlining from the KEI YouTube account. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

US official-N Korea-Russia

U.S. diplomat says Washington will explore 'array of tools' against N. Korea-Russia arms trade

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. diplomat on Monday decried an arms trade between North Korea and Russia as "not acceptable," vowing to explore an "array of tools" to tackle the security issue.

Yuri Kim, principal deputy assistant secretary at the State Department's Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, made the remarks at a forum in response to a question about Pyongyang's provision of ammunition to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine.

"We are concerned and we will look at the array of tools that are available to the U.S. government. I think we will also be working very closely as we have been with our EU partners, with NATO allies and with other allies like Korea, Japan, and other members of the G7 partnership to try and tackle this problem," she said.

"It is not acceptable for Russia and North Korea to be engaged in this kind of trade," she added.

Kim said that the U.S. is watching "very carefully" what Russia is doing not only with North Korea but also with Iran and China.

She also noted that despite Russia and China having a "special responsibility" to contribute to world security as permanent members of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC), they are "doing exactly the opposite at this point."

"We've never had a situation in which a permanent member of the UNSC is so frequently violating not just the U.N. Charter, but all the various Security Council resolutions that Russia itself voted, including Security Council resolutions that restrict and prohibit North Korea from engaging in ballistic missile tests, and from developing its nuclear weapons program," she said.

In October, the White House said that the North had delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia.

The revelation came after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin met at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, a Russian spaceport, in September, raising concerns about a possible arms deal between the two countries.

(END)

(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved