Government Closely Watching North Korea-Russia Ties... "Sanctions Violated by Providing Military Technology"

North Korea Uses Trash Balloons as Pretext for Leaflets... "Freedom of Expression"

The government warned that the visit of the Russian Deputy Minister of Defense to North Korea to meet with Chairman Kim Jong-un constitutes a violation of sanctions against North Korea, including the provision of military technology.

Kim In-ae, deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification, stated at a regular briefing on the 19th that the military delegation led by Alexey Krivoruchko, Deputy Minister of Defense of Russia, who visited North Korea the previous day, is being closely monitored in cooperation with relevant agencies. She added, "The government expressed serious concerns in a statement on the 20th of last month regarding the decision by Russia and North Korea to strengthen mutual military and economic cooperation."

Kim In-ae, Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of Unification [Photo by Yonhap News]

On the same day, the Korean Central News Agency reported that the Russian military delegation met with Chairman Kim Jong-un, stating that "at the meeting, there was a shared recognition of the importance and necessity of military cooperation between the two countries to safeguard the security interests of both sides."

Chairman Kim said, "The armies of the two countries, connected by a long historical tradition and traditional ties, must unite more firmly to vigorously lead the new era of Korea-Russia relations and play an important role in protecting regional and world peace and international justice."

Meanwhile, Deputy Spokesperson Kim dismissed North Korea's claim that it used the excuse of leaflet distribution to release additional sewage balloons the previous day, saying, "The issue of leaflet distribution is being approached in consideration of the Constitutional Court's decision guaranteeing freedom of expression." She emphasized, "We maintain close cooperation among relevant agencies and are doing our best to manage the situation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.