SEOUL, South Korea: A senior North Korean military official criticized the United States on Monday for its expanding military assistance to Ukraine, reiterating North Korea’s support for Russia in the ongoing Ukraine war.
According to state media KCNA, the official, Pak Jong Chon, condemned Washington’s actions, warning that they could provoke a stronger response from Moscow and potentially lead to a “new world war.”
The deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea has raised concerns in Washington and Seoul. Both countries have accused Moscow and Pyongyang of violating international laws by trading arms for use in Ukraine, though both Russia and North Korea have denied such transfers. Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a pact in Pyongyang, pledging immediate military assistance to each other in the event of armed aggression against either nation.
Analysts suggest this agreement sets the stage for arms trade between Russia and North Korea, strengthening their anti-U.S. and anti-West alliance. Pak Jong Chon emphasized that Russia has the “right to opt for any kind of retaliatory strike,” in response to the U.S. pushing Ukraine into a “proxy war” against Russia. His comments came after the Pentagon stated that Ukrainian forces could use U.S.-supplied weapons to strike Russian forces anywhere across the border into Russia.
The cooperation between North Korea and Russia has been condemned by senior officials from South Korea, the U.S., and Japan. In a joint statement released by Seoul’s foreign ministry, they expressed strong disapproval of the military collaboration. Reports from the Washington Post indicated that Russia might have received approximately 1.6 million artillery shells from North Korea between August and January.
The mutual defense agreement between Putin and Kim Jong Un could also strain Russia’s relationship with China, North Korea’s primary ally. Furthermore, as early as next month, North Korea intends to deploy engineering and construction teams to Russian-occupied areas in Ukraine in order to begin reconstruction, according to a South Korean cable TV network. These forces, often sent overseas as construction workers to earn hard currency for the regime, would be relocated from China to the Russia-held regions.
South Korea’s foreign ministry has not yet commented on these reports. The situation continues to develop as international scrutiny and diplomatic tensions rise over the military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.
