UN states 'deeply concerned' China, Russia helping North Korea in expanding military capabilities, says Lloyd Austin

The UN member nations enforcing the Korean War armistice are worried that China and Russia are assisting North Korea in enhancing its military capabilities by allowing it to circumvent UN sanctions, said US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday. Addressing a meeting in South Korea with defence minister and representatives from the 17 countries that make up the UN Command that oversees the armistice, he said, “We are deeply concerned that the PRC and Russia are helping the DPRK expand its capabilities by enabling it to evade sanctions from the UN Security council,” Austin said. PRC refers to the People’s Republic of China and DPRK is short for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. “We’re also troubled by the recent growth in military cooperation between Russia and the DPRK,” he said. Washington has accused North Korea of supplying military equipment to Russia for use in its war with Ukraine, and Moscow of providing technical military support to help the North. 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. China, North Korea’s closest ally, has said it was complying with international obligations. The UNC was expected on Tuesday to renew a pledge to respond to any North Korean aggression and to adopt a joint statement on a united response in the event of a “contingency” on the Korean peninsula, South Korea’s defence ministry said. Defence Minister Shin Won-sik said Pyongyang had been warned not to attempt any aggressive acts, noting that unlike in 1950, when the Korean War broke out, North Korea is now a member state of the United Nations. “If North Korea ever invades the South again, it will be self-contradictory, where a UN member state would be attacking the UN Command,” Shin told the meeting. “If the countries that backed North Korea during the Korean War ever try to help again, then those countries will also receive grave punishment from the international community along with North Korea,” Shin added. With inputs from agencies