U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he shares South Korean concerns about growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, which he called a two-way street involving arms flows and technical support.
Blinken said this after a meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin. Where they discussed a so-called extended deterrence strategy in countering threats from North Korea, including the use of U.S. military assets and nuclear forces for protection from attacks, and improving cooperation with Japan.
According to the American diplomat, any support for North Korea’s ballistic missile programs, for its nuclear technology, for its space launch capacity is a major concern and should be addressed without delay.
The United States and allies South Korea and Japan have condemned what they say is the flow of arms and military equipment from North Korea to Russia, saying movements of cargo from the reclusive state to Russia was evidence.
North Korea and Russia have denied any arms deals though their leaders pledged closer military cooperation when they met in September in Russia’s far east.
