The United States questioned cooperation between Russia and North Korea: "It must end"

The United States on Thursday called for an end to North Korea's cooperation with Russia after leader Kim Jong Un pledged "unconditional support" to Moscow in the war in Ukraine.

“North Korea’s military deployments to Russia, and any support provided by the Russian Federation to the DPRK in return, must end,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told reporters, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

North Korean backing of Moscow marks a new chapter in bilateral cooperation, initially revealed in April, when the deployment of North Korean troops on Russian soil was formally confirmed. These soldiers have joined Russian forces in an attempt to curb the Ukrainian incursion into the border region of Kursk. During these events, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, publicly thanked North Korea for its participation in the conflict, assuring that their sacrifice would be remembered.

The recent meeting between Kim Jong Un and Sergei Shoigu, secretary of Russia's Security Council, reaffirmed North Korea's commitment to support Russia's foreign positions and policies on crucial international political issues, including the war in Ukraine. According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim expressed his certainty that Russia would achieve victory in what he described as a “sacred cause of justice” to defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In this dialogue, both nations discussed how to further strengthen their strategic partnership, reaching a consensus on the conflict in Ukraine and other unspecified international situations. Shoigu had previously visited North Korea in March to discuss similar matters with Kim.

Although both North Korea and Russia have omitted to detail the exact number of North Korean troops in Russia, US, South Korean, and Ukrainian intelligence reports estimate that between 10,000 and 12,000 soldiers from North Korea were sent to Russia the previous autumn, marking North Korea's first participation in a major armed conflict since the Korean War (1950-53). Likewise, South Korean authorities recently indicated the additional deployment of approximately 3,000 North Korean soldiers to Russia earlier this year.

In addition to direct involvement on the ground, it is stated that North Korea has been supplying a considerable amount of conventional weaponry to Russia, highlighting a link of exchange that could have repercussions beyond the current conflict. Analysts from South Korea, the United States, and other allies express concerns that Russia may be offering economic and military support to North Korea, as well as potentially transferring advanced technologies that could strengthen the North Korean nuclear program, thus raising the threat towards its regional rivals.

An international report has revealed the extent of the military support that the North Korean dictatorship has provided to Vladimir Putin's Russia in the war in Ukraine, openly defying the sanctions imposed by the United Nations Organization.

According to CNN, the document details that Pyongyang has sent thousands of soldiers, ballistic missiles, and millions of munitions to Moscow, which has allowed to intensify the Russian attacks against Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure.

This cooperation, which extends beyond the supply of weaponry, also includes the exchange of military technology and strategic resources, and raises serious concerns about international security and the future of the conflict.