Escalating Tensions on the Korean Peninsula
Seoul, July 21 (UPI) – The top diplomats of Russia and North Korea have blamed the United States and its allies for raising tensions around the Korean Peninsula. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui made the remarks during a meeting in Moscow as part of the third round of the Russia-North Korea strategic dialogue.
The two diplomats ‘agreed that the irresponsible conduct of the United States and its allies, including the expansion of provocative military activities around the Korean Peninsula, has been the primary cause of the deteriorating security situation in Northeast Asia and beyond.’
The language echoes Pyongyang’s frequent condemnations of joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea, which it claims are rehearsals for an invasion. North Korea has also recently criticized Japan’s military buildup and its expanding security ties with Washington and Seoul, accusing the three countries of using their growing defense cooperation to contain North Korea and neighboring countries.
The meeting came during Choe’s visit to Russia, where she met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday. Pyongyang and Moscow have grown closer since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the two sides signing a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty in June 2024 that includes a mutual defense clause.
North Korea has sent munitions and roughly 15,000 troops to support Russian forces in the Kursk region, according to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service. The service estimates that about 2,000 of the deployed troops have been killed.
The partnership ‘contributes to regional and international security and to the emergence of a new, more equitable multipolar world order.’
North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency carried a press statement on the meeting Tuesday, saying it focused on ‘the implementation of the treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, high-level visits, the plan for multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries and diplomatic coordination on major international issues of mutual concern.’
Choe also ‘expressed invariable support for all the internal and external policies of the Russian Federation to eliminate the root cause of the Ukrainian dispute and defend its national sovereignty, territorial integrity and international justice.’
She laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin, KCNA reported.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last traveled to Russia in September 2023, when he met Putin at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the country’s Far East and toured military and industrial facilities. Putin visited Pyongyang in June 2024.
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North Korea strengthens ties with China and Russia
Kim Jong Un meets China’s top political adviser Wang Huning
Regional Security Concerns
The meeting highlights the deepening security concerns in the region. The United States, South Korea, and Japan have been conducting joint military exercises in the region, which North Korea sees as a threat to its security.
The exercises have been a source of tension between North Korea and the United States, with Pyongyang repeatedly condemning the drills as a rehearsal for an invasion.
North Korea’s recent criticism of Japan’s military buildup and its expanding security ties with Washington and Seoul also reflects the country’s concerns about the growing defense cooperation in the region.
The partnership between Russia and North Korea is seen as a key factor in the region’s security dynamics. The two countries have been strengthening their ties in recent years, with Russia providing economic and military support to North Korea.
The partnership has been seen as a way for North Korea to counterbalance the influence of the United States and its allies in the region.
The meeting between Lavrov and Choe reflects the growing cooperation between Russia and North Korea on regional security issues.
