Latest news with #Russia-NorthKorea
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
North Korea earns over $20 billion aiding Russia's war effort, report says
North Korea's military support for Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine has already earned Pyongyang more than $20 billion, according to South Korea's Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA), Newsweek reported on April 16. KIDA's estimates show that most revenue stems from large-scale artillery ammunition shipments. North Korean munitions now account for roughly half of the Russian army's artillery needs in Ukraine, with some frontline units entirely reliant on the shells. Between August 2023 and March 2025, North Korea reportedly shipped more than 15,800 containers of munitions to Russia. Satellite imagery revealed 64 voyages by Russian ships, potentially delivering between 4.2 million and 5.8 million rounds of North Korean ammunition. In return, Pyongyang is said to have received advanced Russian weaponry and military technology, rather than cash. The report suggests North Korea prefers "in-kind and technical assistance" that enhances its own defense industry and supports its long-term strategic goals. North Korea deployed more than 11,000 troops to support Russia's war efforts, most of whom were sent to Russia's Kursk Oblast. Ukraine estimates that 5,000-6,000 have become casualties, highlighting the high human cost of Pyongyang's involvement. The deepening military alliance raises broader regional concerns, with KIDA warning that closer cooperation could lead to Moscow intervening on the Korean Peninsula in the event of a crisis. "Russia-North Korea military cooperation raises the chances of Russia stepping in on the Korean peninsula if there's an emergency," the report said, urging the international community to adopt measures to sever the alliance. Russian President Vladimir Putin has described North Korea as a "partner," confirming that a bilateral defense treaty signed in 2024 is now in force. He has also suggested that Pyongyang could be included in future negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Read also: Denmark to send unarmed soldiers to Ukraine for drone warfare training We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Korea Herald
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Rutte voices hope for 'NATO-wide' defense cooperation with S. Korea: Seoul
The chief of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has expressed his strong interest in expanding defense cooperation with South Korea, not just on an individual country basis, but also at a "NATO-wide" level, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte made the call during his meeting with Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul who is in Brussels this week to attend the foreign ministers' gathering of NATO member states. South Korea was invited as a guest nation of NATO's Indo-Pacific partners that include Australia, Japan and New Zealand. Rutte "expressed hope that South Korea would pursue defense cooperation, not only with individual NATO members but also with NATO as a whole," the ministry said in a release. "Cho suggested expanding collaboration by starting with practical, achievable measures, through working-level discussions," it said. At the meeting, Cho called for NATO's support in expediting the establishment of a South Korea-NATO intelligence-sharing channel, an initiative that has been in progress since last year. Cho further emphasized military cooperation between Russia and North Korea "must be stopped immediately," stressing the North "should not be rewarded in any way for its wrongful actions in the course of peace negotiations," referring to Pyongyang's troop dispatch to Russia in support of the war against Ukraine. Agreeing with Cho, Rutte highlighted the need for close coordination between NATO and its Indo-Pacific partners regarding the Russia-North Korea military ties, the ministry said. Cho also reaffirmed South Korea's commitment to supporting Ukraine's swift reconstruction, saying South Korea plans to provide a long-term $2 billion package starting this year to assist such efforts, following last year's $400 million of aid. (Yonhap)
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Korea tests new anti-aircraft missile system, threatens 'deadly' response to U.S.-South Korea drills
SEOUL, March 21 (UPI) -- North Korea successfully test-fired a new anti-aircraft missile system, state-run media reported Friday, as Pyongyang continued to condemn a U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise that it claims is a rehearsal for an invasion. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test, which was held to "examine the comprehensive performance" of the new system being mass-produced at an unnamed munitions facility, Korean Central News Agency reported. "The test-fire proved that the combat fast response of the latest anti-aircraft missile system was advantageous and the overall weapon system was highly reliable," KCNA said. Kim said that the North Korean military now had "another major defense weapon system with laudable combat performance," the KCNA report added. The test comes as North Korea issued the latest in a series of condemnations of Freedom Shield, the major annual springtime military exercise held by the United States and South Korea. The North's Defense Ministry on Friday called the joint exercise, which wrapped up the day before, "no more than a rehearsal of war of aggression aimed at invading and occupying the DPRK from A to Z." The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is the official name of North Korea. In a statement carried by KCNA, the ministry warned that all options, including "the most destructive and deadly military means," are being considered in response to the allies' joint drills. "The accumulated reckless military moves of the U.S. and the ROK, seized with the daydream that they can jeopardize the sovereignty and security of a nuclear weapons state, can undoubtedly bring the gravest consequences they do not want," the statement said, using the official acronym for South Korea. This year's 11-day Freedom Shield exercise involved computer-simulated drills and on-field training, with a focus on the North's evolving nuclear and missile threats and its deepening military ties with Russia. The drills "reflected realistic threats such as North Korean military strategies, tactics and changes in power derived through Russia-North Korea military cooperation and analysis of various armed conflicts," a statement from Seoul's Defense Ministry said Thursday. South Korea deployed some 19,000 troops for this year's exercise, which expanded the number of outdoor field drills to 51 from 48 last year, the ministry said. KCNA issued a commentary on Wednesday calling the joint drills "dangerous and undesirable doings germinating a touch-and-go situation, the world's first nuclear war." Last week, North Korea fired a salvo of close-range ballistic missiles into the Yellow Sea following a pair of statements criticizing Freedom Shield and warning of retaliatory provocations.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Australia announces largest sanctions package against Russia since beginning of full-scale invasion
As a sign of support for Ukraine, Australia is introducing its largest sanctions package since 2022 against 70 individuals and 79 organisations linked to Russia. Source: website of Prime Minister of Australia Quote: "Australia has been clear since day one that Russia and those enabling its illegal invasion, will face consequences. The Australian Government has today imposed further targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on 70 persons and targeted financial sanctions on 79 entities. This constitutes Australia's largest sanctions package since February 2022." Details: The statement noted that the new sanctions target individuals who support Russia's illegal administrations in Ukraine's east and Crimea, "including so-called 'ministers', judges and prosecutors and individuals responsible for conflict-related sexual violence and the forced deportation of Ukrainian children". The Australian sanctions also target individuals and entities involved in deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, including the deployment of North Korean troops on the battlefield. Quote: "Deepening Russia-North Korea military cooperation is a dangerous expansion of Russia's war, with serious consequences for European and Indo-Pacific security." "Australia has now imposed a total of more than 1,400 sanctions in response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine." Details: The government added that Australia had allocated over $1.5 billion to help Ukraine defend itself, including over $1.3 billion for military support in the form of essential battlefield equipment and the training of Ukrainian troops. Background: Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles and Liberal opposition party leader Peter Dutton said that US President Donald Trump was wrong in his statements about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and that peace in Ukraine should be achieved on Kyiv's terms, as Russia is the aggressor. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Korea Herald
22-02-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
FM Cho urges end to Russia's war in Ukraine, military cooperation with N. Korea
Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul urged an end to Russia's war in Ukraine and its illegal military cooperation with North Korea during a multilateral meeting in South Africa earlier this week, the foreign ministry in Seoul said Saturday. Cho made the call at the foreign ministers' meeting of the Group of 20 nations in Johannesburg, held from Thursday through Friday (local time), highlighting the deepening security links between Europe and Asia. "Minister Cho highlighted the growing security ties between Europe and Asia amid the illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea," the ministry said in a release. "He strongly urged an end to the war in Ukraine and called for the immediate termination of the Russia-North Korea military cooperation," it said. Cho's calls were echoed by other like-minded countries, including Australia, Canada and Japan, during the meeting, the ministry added. Cho reaffirmed South Korea's commitment to continued assistance for Ukraine and helping rebuild the country after the war. He called on the G20 to take an active role in international efforts to achieve peaceful solutions to major ongoing conflicts, including those in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip. Regarding the Middle East, Cho welcomed the ceasefire agreement for the Gaza Strip and expressed expectations for its "swift and complete implementation." Cho also voiced hope for the establishment of a new Syria through a peaceful and inclusive political process as pledged by the transitional government. On the second day, Cho attended a session for discussions on shared global challenges, from artificial intelligence to climate and energy. "He called for a constructive dialogue on the role of G20 to drive and strengthen the multilateral cooperation of the international community," the ministry said. While in Johannesburg, Cho also met separately with his counterparts of key partner countries on the sidelines, including the European Union's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, and foreign ministers of the Netherlands, Spain, Algeria and South Africa. The bilateral talks followed Cho's one-on-one meetings with his Australian and British counterparts the previous day. (Yonhap)
