South Korea, Japan and the United States condemned on Monday (06/24/2024) “in the strongest possible terms” the recent agreement between North Korea and Russia, which deepens their military cooperation and may increase the supply of weapons from Pyongyang to Moscow for use in Ukraine.
In a joint statement, the countries questioned “the continued arms transfers from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea’s official name) to Russia that prolong the suffering of the Ukrainian people, violate multiple United Nations Security Council Resolutions and threaten stability in both Northeast Asia and Europe.
The Pyongyang-Moscow rapprochement “should be of serious concern to anyone interested in maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, defending the global non-proliferation regime, and supporting the people of Ukraine in their defense of their freedom and independence against Russia’s brutal aggression,” they noted.
They agreed on mutual military assistance
The so-called “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement”, which includes a mutual military assistance clause in the event of aggression against their territories, was signed last week coinciding with the visit to Pyongyang of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, who signed the pact together with the North Korean Kim Jong-un.
The pact, which both Moscow and Pyongyang say complies with international law, could also involve sending advanced Russian technology to North Korea, according to some experts.
“The United States, the Republic of Korea (official name of South Korea) and Japan reaffirm their intention to further strengthen their diplomatic and security cooperation to counter the threats posed by the DPRK to regional and global security and prevent an escalation of the situation,” adds the joint statement.
US “ironclad” commitment to its allies
The trilateral announcement concludes by assuring that the US commitment to the defense of its two allies “remains ironclad” and that Seoul, Washington and Tokyo “reaffirm that the path to dialogue remains open and urge the DPRK to cease further provocations.” and to return to the negotiations”.
After the failure of the dialogue on denuclearization in 2019, Pyongyang has opted to turn its back on the new proposals to negotiate, to modernize its weapons, to rule out peaceful reunification with the South and to strengthen its rapprochement with Putin’s Russia, especially after the invasion of Ukraine.
gs (efe, reuters)
