Is Pyongyang transferring weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine? “The most absurd paradox about which it is not worth making any assessment,” said Kim Yo-jong, influential sister of the North Korean leader.
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North Korea denied this Friday that the country had exported weapons to Russia and called speculation about arms transfers between Pyongyang and Moscow “the most absurd paradox,” according to average state property.
“We have no intention of exporting our military technical capabilities to any country or opening them to the public,” said Kim Yo-jong, the North Korean leader’s influential sister, in a statement released to the press.
Several countries, including the United States and South Korea, have accused North Korea of providing artillery, missiles and other weapons to Russia for the war in Ukraine in exchange for advanced military technology and economic aid. Accusations repeatedly rejected by North Korea and Russia.
Foreign experts believe North Korea’s recent series of artillery and short-range missile tests were aimed at examining or unveiling weapons it planned to sell to Russia.
“The most absurd paradox that is not worth making any evaluation or interpretation,” replied Kim Yo-jong.
Kim, who is a member of North Korea’s National Defense Commission, also said North Korea’s recent weapons tests were carried out as part of the country’s five-year weapons development plan, launched in 2021.
He added that the The newly tested weapons are designed to attack the South Korean capital..
“We do not hide the fact that such weapons will be used to prevent Seoul from inventing unrealistic thoughts,” he said.
In March, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said North Korea had sent about 7,000 containers of ammunition and other military equipment to Russia since last year. In return, Pyongyang received more than 9,000 Russian containers, probably as aid, he said.
The spokesman for the United States National Security Council, John Kirby, noted in January that Missiles supplied by North Korea were fired at Ukraine.. At the time, Kiev authorities also indicated that an investigation into missile debris found in the northeast region of Kharkiv raised the possibility that it was North Korean material.
Any arms trade with North Korea would constitute a violation of several United Nations Security Council resolutions that Russia, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has previously supported.
In May, the The White House also claimed that Russia was shipping refined oil to North Korea. at levels that exceeded the limits of the UN Security Council.
The deepening ties between North Korea and Russia come at a time when the two countries are involved in separate confrontations with the United States: North Korea over its nuclear program and Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Since 2022, North Korea has carried out a series of missile tests, prompting the US to step up military exercises with South Korea and Japan.
Experts estimate that North Korea may think that an expanded weapons arsenal will increase Pyongyang’s influence in future diplomacy with Washington, writes the American news agency Associated Press.
Source: Observadora
