South Korean Defense Minister Shin Yoon-suk stated on Saturday (June 1) that more evidence has been obtained, indicating that some weapons used by Russia on the Ukrainian battlefield were illegally imported from North Korea.
Shin made these remarks at the largest defense forum in Asia, the “Shangri-La Dialogue.” He mentioned that the “military cooperation between Russia and North Korea” is escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula and affecting the European battlefield.
He warned that if North Korea continues to supply weapons to Russia and receives military technology transfers in return, the imminent risk of enhancing North Korea’s conventional military capabilities will become a reality.
In February this year, the United States claimed that North Korea had delivered over 10,000 containers of ammunition and related equipment to Russia since September last year.
Earlier this week, the US Department of Defense intelligence agency released an unclassified report confirming, through analysis of artillery shell remnants, that Russia had used newly produced ballistic missiles from North Korea in the conflict in Ukraine.
Despite the low accuracy of North Korean missiles, Ukraine suggests that Russia and North Korea may be using Ukraine as a missile testing ground to assess the effectiveness of their weapons.
Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied the allegations of North Korea transferring weapons to Russia.
During the conference, Shin also condemned North Korea for recently sending balloons loaded with garbage and feces to South Korea, calling such actions “disgraceful” and “despicable.”
Earlier this week, North Korea launched hundreds of “pollution balloons” towards South Korea, with some balloons landing in downtown Seoul and as far south as Guchang County, 218 kilometers away from Seoul.
Shin stated, “For a normal country, this is an unimaginable disgraceful and despicable act… This is an inhumane act that clearly violates the Armistice Agreement.”
He added, “I strongly condemn this behavior and urge the North to stop immediately.”
Shin also emphasized that North Korea’s reckless development of nuclear weapons and missiles poses a significant threat to all Asian countries and directly challenges peace in the Indo-Pacific region and the world.
At the Shangri-La Dialogue, Shin also called on Beijing to play a more proactive role in the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Regarding whether South Korea would seek to develop nuclear weapons, Shin stated that South Korea believes strengthening the US-South Korea alliance is the answer to resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.