UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States cautioned on Wednesday that North Korea is gaining valuable military experience by sending troops to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine, potentially enhancing Pyongyang’s ability to conduct warfare against its neighbors.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has deepened its diplomatic and military ties with North Korea.
Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Dorothy Camille Shea informed the Security Council that over 12,000 North Korean troops are currently in Russia, with some engaged in combat against Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region as of last month.
“The DPRK is reaping significant benefits from receiving Russian military equipment, technology, and combat experience, which increases its capacity to wage war against its neighbors,” Shea told the 15-member council. The meeting addressed Pyongyang’s recent test of a new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile.
Shea also warned that North Korea could exploit these advancements to expand its global weapons sales and military training programs.
North Korea’s U.N. Ambassador Kim Song defended the missile test, claiming it was a legitimate step to strengthen the country’s defense capabilities. He accused the United States of hypocrisy.
“When the civilian death toll exceeded 45,000 in Gaza, the United States framed Israel’s mass killing as a right to self-defense,” Kim said. “Meanwhile, it criticizes the DPRK for exercising its own right to self-defense.”
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia reiterated Moscow’s longstanding accusation that U.S., South Korean, and Japanese military exercises provoke North Korea. He dismissed as “wholly unsubstantiated” U.S. claims that Russia intends to share satellite and space technology with Pyongyang.
“These statements are baseless conjecture aimed at discrediting the cooperative relationship between the Russian Federation and the DPRK,” Nebenzia said, adding his congratulations to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on his birthday.
South Korea’s U.N. Ambassador Joonkook Hwang condemned North Korea’s deployment of troops, stating, “North Korean soldiers are essentially slaves to Kim Jong Un, brainwashed to sacrifice their lives on foreign battlefields to fund his regime and secure advanced military technology from Russia.”
North Korea has been under U.N. sanctions since 2006, with measures steadily strengthened to deter its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. However, Russia’s veto power on the Security Council makes further action against Pyongyang unlikely.