Latest news with #UnitedNationsSecurityCouncilResolutions
NDTV
30-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
100 Ballistic Missiles, Rocket Launchers. What N Korea Gave Russia: Report
New Delhi: Between September 2023 and December 2024 North Korea gave Russia over 100 ballistic missiles and as much as nine million rounds of ammunition to support various weapons systems, including artillery shells and rockets, for use in Moscow's war against Ukraine, an 11-member international watchdog monitoring sanctions against Pyongyang said Thursday. The missiles and military support, which included deployment of 14,000 soldiers and three heavy artillery units, helped Moscow "terrorise" Ukraine and "destroy civilian infrastructure and populated areas like Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia", the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team said. In return, the MSMT report said, Moscow may have supplied Pyongyang with advanced electronic warfare systems and at least one Pantsir, which is a mobile air defence system designed to target aircraft, cruise missiles, precision munitions, and UAVs, or unmanned aerial vehicles. Arms transfers both ways were conducted under the cover of Russian cargo ships. Moscow also supported Pyongyang's missile development programme by sharing data from ballistic missiles used to destroy civilian targets in Kyiv and other cities, the report said. And North Korea has also been supplied with refined petroleum products, which helps Russia bypass financial sanctions imposed to stifle funding to further its war on Ukraine. That North Korea has supplied Russia with soldiers had been confirmed earlier, and that it had also provided weapons and munitions had been inferred in 2024 from American intelligence. In September 2024 South Korean intelligence made the same inference. The MSMT report, however, emphasises the scale of transfers that "marks a dangerous expansion of the war". Violations of United Nations Security Council Resolutions on North Korea and Russia individually, and on military cooperation between the two, have been flagged. North Korea has been under a UN arms embargo since it tested a nuclear bomb in 2006. The UN Security Council Resolutions, in fact, were passed with approval from Russia. The two have, though, strengthened military ties since the invasion of Ukraine, signing a Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in June 2024, when Vladimir Putin visited N Korea. Article 4 of that treaty specifies the provision of military assistance if either nation is "put in a state of war by an armed invasion", in line, ironically, with sections of the UN Charter. Neither Russia nor N Korea have responded to the MSMT report as yet. Both have formally denied any transfer of arms. What Is The MSMT? The MSMT is the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea, and was set up in October 2024. It was formed after Russia last year vetoed renewing a United Nations-appointed panel of experts that had been monitoring implementation and violations of sanctions against N Korea. Its 30-page report contained analysis of Hwasong-11A short-range ballistic missile debris from Ukraine, as well as information about recovered rocket launcher ammunition and anti-tank missiles, and photographs of North Korean weapons systems being transported through Russia. The report cited information from UK-based Conflict Armament Research and Open Source Centre, as well as findings from member states. Weapons From N Korea To Russia Arms transfers from North Korea to Russia since late 2023 (Moscow's invasion began February 2022) has consisted of "over 20,000 containers of munitions and related material... including 82mm, 122mm, 130mm, 152mm, and 170mm munitions to support various weapons systems... " Photo from MSMT report dated May 29, 2025 "Russian-flagged cargo vessels delivered as many as nine million rounds of mixed artillery and multiple rocket launcher ammunition... in 49 shipments from January 1 to mid-December 2024." According to open source information cited by the MSMT, Russian ships also delivered up to six million rounds of ammo - artillery shells and rockets - between August 2023 and March 2024. Debris from these and other North Korea-provided munitions, have been recovered from missiles that hit Ukraine cities, including Kharkiv in January 2024 and Bila Tserkva, Vitrova Balka, and Rozhivka in August 2024. Kyiv has said about a third of recent missile strikes involve N Korean weapons. Photo from MSMT report dated May 29, 2025 Transfer of the Hwasong-11 series ballistic missile is in violation of another UN Security Council Resolution. In fact, Pyongyang is banned from any activity to do with ballistic missiles. Intel from a participating MSMT state also indicated Moscow had trained North Korean troops and deployed them to the Kursk Oblast, where "they began engaging in combat operations..." "Web Of Illicit Activity" Overall, the MSMT has claimed "a myriad unlawful activities" between the two countries. These reportedly include Russia helping North Korean evade scrutiny from the Financial Action Task Force, the global anti-terror funding watchdog. The FATF, incidentally, has been re-approached by India over Pakistan continuing to fund cross-border terrorism. The watchdog has warned the global community the fact that Russia and N Korea have defied, and continue to defy, sanctions indicates a new challenge for enforcement of international law. It has offered a list of eight recommendations to counter the emerging alliance and violation of sanctions, including monitoring of financial transactions (the FATF's remit) and increased inspection of movement of 'designated people' to and from the two countries.
Khaleej Times
16-02-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
US, S Korea, Japan reaffirm pledge to seek N Korea's denuclearisation
The United States, Japan and South Korea renewed their "resolute" pledge to seek the "complete denuclearisation" of North Korea, according to a joint statement from the three allies released on Saturday. The statement came after new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held his first meetings with South Korean Foreign Minister Choe Tae-yul and Japan's top diplomat Takeshi Iwaya on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. "The Secretary and Foreign Ministers reaffirmed their resolute commitment to the complete denuclearisation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in accordance with the United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs)," it said. "They expressed their serious concerns over and the need to address together the DPRK's nuclear and missile programs, malicious cyber activities including cryptocurrency thefts, and increasing military cooperation with Russia," it added. The three sent a "strong warning" that they "will not tolerate any provocations or threats to their homelands" and vowed to maintain and strengthen international sanctions against Pyongyang. They also said they were committed to "the immediate resolution of the issues of abductees, detainees, and unrepatriated prisoners of war as well as the issue of separated families". Largely cut off from the world diplomatically and economically, and under a bevy of sanctions, North Korea with its ongoing nuclear weapons programme has been a major thorn in the side of the United States for years. President Donald Trump, who had a rare series of meetings with Kim Jong Un during his first term in office, has said he will reach out again to the North Korean leader, calling Kim a "smart guy". Despite Trump's diplomatic overtures, North Korea said in January that its nuclear programme would continue "indefinitely". Pyongygang also said earlier this month it would not tolerate any "provocation" by the United States after Rubio called it a "rogue state" in a radio interview. It has also slammed a visit by a US nuclear submarine to a naval base in South Korea this month as a "hostile military act". A summit between Trump and Kim in Hanoi collapsed in 2019 over talks on sanctions relief and what Pyongyang would be willing to give up in return.
Khaleej Times
16-02-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Clone of US, S Korea, Japan reaffirm pledge to seek N Korea's denuclearisation
The United States, Japan and South Korea renewed their "resolute" pledge to seek the "complete denuclearisation" of North Korea, according to a joint statement from the three allies released on Saturday. The statement came after new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held his first meetings with South Korean Foreign Minister Choe Tae-yul and Japan's top diplomat Takeshi Iwaya on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. "The Secretary and Foreign Ministers reaffirmed their resolute commitment to the complete denuclearisation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in accordance with the United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs)," it said. "They expressed their serious concerns over and the need to address together the DPRK's nuclear and missile programs, malicious cyber activities including cryptocurrency thefts, and increasing military cooperation with Russia," it added. The three sent a "strong warning" that they "will not tolerate any provocations or threats to their homelands" and vowed to maintain and strengthen international sanctions against Pyongyang. They also said they were committed to "the immediate resolution of the issues of abductees, detainees, and unrepatriated prisoners of war as well as the issue of separated families". Largely cut off from the world diplomatically and economically, and under a bevy of sanctions, North Korea with its ongoing nuclear weapons programme has been a major thorn in the side of the United States for years. President Donald Trump, who had a rare series of meetings with Kim Jong Un during his first term in office, has said he will reach out again to the North Korean leader, calling Kim a "smart guy". Despite Trump's diplomatic overtures, North Korea said in January that its nuclear programme would continue "indefinitely". Pyongygang also said earlier this month it would not tolerate any "provocation" by the United States after Rubio called it a "rogue state" in a radio interview. It has also slammed a visit by a US nuclear submarine to a naval base in South Korea this month as a "hostile military act". A summit between Trump and Kim in Hanoi collapsed in 2019 over talks on sanctions relief and what Pyongyang would be willing to give up in return.
Korea Herald
16-02-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Trump 2.0 codifies ‘complete denuclearization' of N. Korea amid fears of US policy shift
'Complete denuclearization of North Korea' has been used in official statements, replacing peninsula-wide term The Trump administration has laid out a commitment to North Korea's 'complete denuclearization' and to the preservation of sanctions and pressure to that end in a joint statement with South Korea and Japan, assuaging Seoul's mounting concerns over Washington's potential shift in North Korea policy. The joint statement came after the first meeting among South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya on Saturday, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. The meeting was followed by the first-ever bilateral meeting between Cho and Rubio earlier in the day. 'The Secretary and Foreign Ministers reaffirmed their resolute commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in accordance with the United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs),' the English-language joint statement read, referring to North Korea by its official name. 'They also committed to maintain and strengthen the international sanctions regime against the DPRK by responding firmly to violations and evasions of the relevant UNSCRs and applying pressure on Pyongyang to halt illicit activities that fund its nuclear and missile programs.' Seoul's fears have also been intensified by US President Donald Trump's reference to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un -- whom he met three times for summits from 2018 to 2019 — on his Jan. 20 inauguration day, and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's labeling of North Korea as a "nuclear power" during his January confirmation hearing. The phrase "nuclear power" differs from the meaning of "nuclear-weapon state" in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, or NPT, used for the five internationally recognized nuclear-weapon states: the US, the UK, France, China and Russia. But Trump and Hegseth's invocation of the unofficially used term "nuclear power," whose implications can be arbitrarily interpreted, has resulted in a frenzy of controversy in Seoul regarding the true intent behind the use of the term by the second Trump administration, perturbing Seoul. Why it matters Seoul's Foreign Ministry emphasized the significance of the stated goal of pursuing North Korea's 'complete denuclearization' in the joint statement endorsed by the new Trump administration. 'It's been all talk and no action, but this document creates a basis that no one can deny,' a Foreign Ministry official told reporters on Saturday in Munich on condition of anonymity. Another government official, also speaking anonymously, said of the trilateral joint statement, 'A document has now set out the (Trump administration's) basic principles for addressing North Korea issues,' adding that 'the Trump administration's policy direction has been clearly outlined' in the statement. The expression 'complete denuclearization' of North Korea, which also appeared in the US-Japan joint leaders' statement, marks a distinction from the Biden administration's phrasing of 'complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.' The latter expression was controversial, as it could be interpreted as aligning with North Korea's long-established claim that a nuclear-free peninsula should include preconditions such as a halt to the deployment of US strategic nuclear assets from the region. This is not the only time the Trump administration has expressed a commitment to the 'complete denuclearization' of North Korea. A separate statement issued by the State Department on Saturday on the outcome of the South Korea-US foreign ministerial meeting also reaffirmed the principle. However, it differed from the press statement released by Seoul's Foreign Ministry. Washington additionally reiterated its willingness to engage with the Kim Jong-un regime and included China as a discussion topic -- points that Seoul did not mention in its statement. 'Secretary Rubio reaffirmed America's commitment to the complete denuclearization of the DPRK while expressing the Trump administration's openness to dialogue,' US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said of the Rubio-Cho meeting. 'The two shared concerns over China's aggression in the South China Sea and discussed how to deter DPRK aggression.' The trilateral joint statement also included an unprecedented message targeting China, in addition to oft-repeated China-related rhetoric, notably stating, 'They also expressed support for Taiwan's meaningful participation in appropriate international organizations.' This was the first time such a phrase has appeared in a trilateral joint statement at any level. The first unnamed Foreign Ministry official further explained that the clause 'refers to possible participation in international organizations that do not recognize statehood.' For instance, Taiwan has previously participated in a WHO annual session as an observer, but has not done so since 2017, and was briefly invited to an International Civil Aviation Organization Assembly in 2013 but later did not attend. The official also disclosed that South Korea requested the addition of the word 'appropriate' to the trilateral statement, distinguishing it from the US-Japan leaders' statement. The clause largely echoed the joint statement issued following talks between Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, which stated, 'The two leaders also expressed support for Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organizations.' However, the Foreign Ministry official clarified that South Korea still respects the "One China policy," emphasizing that 'our basic stance on Taiwan has remained unchanged.'
Voice of America
16-02-2025
- Politics
- Voice of America
US, South Korea, Japan reaffirm pledge to seek denuclearization of North Korea
The United States, Japan and South Korea renewed their "resolute" pledge to seek the "complete denuclearization" of North Korea, according to a joint statement from the three allies released Saturday. The statement came after new U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held his first meetings with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Japan's top diplomat Takeshi Iwaya on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. "The Secretary and Foreign Ministers reaffirmed their resolute commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in accordance with the United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs)," it said. "They expressed their serious concerns over and the need to address together the DPRK's nuclear and missile programs, malicious cyber activities including cryptocurrency thefts, and increasing military cooperation with Russia," it added. The three sent a "strong warning" that they "will not tolerate any provocations or threats to their homelands," and vowed to maintain and strengthen international sanctions against Pyongyang. They also said they were committed to "the immediate resolution of the issues of abductees, detainees, and unrepatriated prisoners of war as well as the issue of separated families." Largely cut off from the world diplomatically and economically, and under a bevy of sanctions, North Korea with its ongoing nuclear weapons program has been a major thorn in the side of the United States for years. President Donald Trump, who had a rare series of meetings with Kim Jong Un during his first term in office, has said he will reach out again to the North Korean leader, calling Kim a "smart guy." Despite Trump's diplomatic overtures, North Korea said in January that its nuclear program would continue "indefinitely." Pyongyang also said earlier this month it would not tolerate any "provocation" by the United States after Rubio called it a "rogue state" in a radio interview. It has also slammed a visit by a U.S. nuclear submarine to a naval base in South Korea this month as a "hostile military act." A summit between Trump and Kim in Hanoi collapsed in 2019 over talks on sanctions relief and what Pyongyang would be willing to give up in return.
