48 countries, EU unite in condemning NK-Russia arms transfer

A united front of 48 countries, alongside the European Union, unequivocally expressed their condemnation in the "strongest possible terms" against North Korea's export of ballistic missiles and Russia's recent use of the ballistic missiles in the assault on war-torn Ukraine.

The joint statement, featuring endorsements from foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States, Japan, Ukraine, and other participating countries, was issued on Wednesday, Seoul time.

"Our governments stand together in resolute opposition to arms transfers between the DPRK and Russia," the English-language joint statement read, referring to North Korea by the acronym of its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

"The transfer of these weapons increases the suffering of the Ukrainian people, supports Russia's war of aggression, and undermines the global non-proliferation regime."

The statement was issued days after the White House last Thursday disclosed that North Korea had recently supplied Russia with several dozen ballistic missiles as well as missile launchers. The ballistic missiles from North Korea were subsequently employed by Russian forces in attacks on Ukraine on Dec. 30 and Jan. 2.

The arms transfer violates several UN Security Council resolutions imposed on North Korea, specifically Resolution 1718, Resolution 1874, and Resolution 2270. The resolutions were supported by Russia, one of the five veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council.

The statement highlighted that Russia's use of North Korean ballistic missiles in Ukraine also affords North Korea "valuable technical and military insights," raising concern that the development has added a layer of complexity to the geopolitical landscape.

"We are deeply concerned about the security implications that this cooperation has in Europe, on the Korean Peninsula, across the Indo-Pacific region, and around the world," the statement read.

"We are closely monitoring what Russia provides to the DPRK in return for these weapons exports. We call on the DPRK and Russia to abide by relevant UNSCRs and to immediately cease all activities that violate them."

Despite repeated warnings, Russian forces launched multiple North Korean ballistic missiles into Ukraine on Jan. 6, the White House said Tuesday.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby affirmed that the US can confirm that "at least one of them landed in Kharkiv," the second-largest city of Ukraine, although the assessment of the impact of the strikes was still underway.

Kirby said the US would raise the arms deals at the meeting of the UNSC on Wednesday along with its allies and partners and "demand that Russia be held accountable for yet again violating international obligations that it signed up to."

Amid escalating criticism surrounding the arms deal, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited major munitions factories on Monday and Tuesday, where he called for boosting weapons production, the state-run media reported Wednesday.

The photos released by state media showed Kim standing amid factories where transporter erector launchers of missiles were densely packed.

Some observers said Kim's remarks suggest the ongoing potential technological cooperation for weapons production between Pyongyang and Moscow.

During his recent tour, Kim not only lauded the "active pursuit of producing critical weapon systems" but also underscored the "incorporation of new technologies into the manufacturing process."

Furthermore, Kim stressed the imperative of "establishing an advanced production process and consistently expanding production capabilities" to fulfill the demand and achieve the objective of modernizing the North Korean military.

"There is a potential for technological cooperation with Russia in establishing production systems for mass-producing Russian-supplied weapons, concurrently meeting the internal military demand in North Korea," said Hong Min, a senior researcher at the government-funded Korea Institute for National Unification.

Hong elaborated that North Korea has been concurrently emphasizing the modernization of weapons production and war preparedness since June 2022, months after the outbreak of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February of the same year.

During the tour, Kim also highlighted the rationale behind "continuously building up an overwhelming strength," declaring that the current juncture marks the period where the "Republic of Korea must be designated as the most hostile country" to North Korea. The Republic of Korea is South Korea's official name.

Kim "predicated that the Republic of Korea clan is our principal enemy," adding that North Korea has "no intention of avoiding a war."

"If the Republic of Korea dares to attempt the use of force against our country or threatens our sovereignty and security ... we will mobilize all means and capabilities at our disposal to completely annihilate the Republic of Korea without any hesitation," Kim was quoted as saying.