Seoul | The North Korean Foreign Ministry on Saturday condemned US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s warnings on rapprochement between Pyongyang and Moscow, saying they “only aggravate dangerous political and military tensions” in the peninsula.
This week, during a visit to Seoul, the head of American diplomacy affirmed that “North Korea’s growing and dangerous military cooperation with Russia” worries him and urged Beijing, Pyongyang’s main ally, to use its influence to prevent dangerous military tests.
Pyongyang condemned Mr. Blinken’s comments on Saturday, deeming them “irresponsible and provocative”. The remarks “only intensify dangerous political and military tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in the region,” the Foreign Ministry said, according to North Korea’s official KCNA news agency.
“The United States must get used to the new reality of relations between the DPRK and Russia,” says the text, using the country’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Historical allies Russia and North Korea are both subject to international sanctions – the former for its invasion of Ukraine and the latter for its banned nuclear weapons and missile programs.
Their growing military cooperation is a source of concern for Ukraine and its allies, particularly after a meeting by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with Russian President Vladimir Putin in September in the Russian Far East.
According to Seoul, North Korea has supplied Russia with more than a million artillery shells for its war in Ukraine, receiving technical advice for its satellites in exchange.
Pyongyang said Saturday that “no matter what others may say, the friendly and cooperative relations between the DPRK and Russia, striving for independence, peace and friendship, will continually strengthen.”
Following Antony Blinken’s visit this week, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected to meet his South Korean counterpart on Monday in Seoul, as South Korea and the United States step up defense cooperation.