In a news conference, Blinken stressed the danger of growing military ties between North Korea and Russia while calling on China, Pyongyang’s historic ally, to rein in the hermit state that is increasingly engaged in “dangerous actions.” The United States, South Korea and Japan have repeatedly criticized the North for military aid to Moscow in support of the war against Ukraine: South Korean intelligence and the military have estimated the delivery of as many as a million artillery shells and even medium-range ballistic missiles. “We see North Korea providing military equipment to Russia to continue its aggression in Ukraine, but we also see Russia providing North Korean technology and support for its military programs,” Blinken added on a mission to Seoul after the G7 foreign ministers meeting Tokyo reiterates American support and dispels fears of a “US diversion” towards the Far East due to the Hamas-Israel conflict. Increasing military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow has stoked fears following a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in September. Seoul has claimed that the North wants space technology from Moscow in return to launch a military spy satellite into orbit. Blinken also met with South Korean National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong and President Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul and thanked him for “his commitment to providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza.” The United States and South Korea have for months been rolling out a strategy of “enhanced deterrence” against the North, which includes large-scale military exercises and strategic assets such as long-range bombers, submarines and nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. In September, a nuclear-capable American B-52 landed in South Korea, less than a week after a US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier visited. Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin is expected in Seoul next week.
