Russia seeks to expand military cooperation with North Korea: White House official

The US fears North Korea is considering providing lethal aid to Russia. US intelligence has discovered that the Kremlin seeks to increase military cooperation between the two nations to help Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The information was confirmed by John Kirby, the US National Security Council’s Strategic Communications Coordinator.

“Our information indicates that Russia is seeking to increase military cooperation with the (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) through the sale of DPRK artillery munitions, again, to Russia,” Kirby said.

The comments came after Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu recently visited North Korea as part of the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice.

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“This is yet another example of how desperate Mr. Putin is becoming, because his war machine is being affected by sanctions and export controls,” added Kirby, saying Russian officials were also reaching out to Iran and China.

During Shoigu’s visit last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gave him a tour of a defense exhibit in Pyongyang, with North Korean media footage showing them walking past an array of weapons ranging from ballistic missiles from Pyongyang’s nuclear capability to its newest drones.

At a state reception for Shoigu and the Russian delegation, in a reference to the war in Ukraine, North Korean Defense Minister Kang Sun Nam expressed Pyongyang’s full support for “the just struggle of the Russian army and people to defend sovereignty and the security of the country,” according to a report by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.