North Korean military officials criticized the United States on Monday for increasing its military assistance to Ukraine and sending an aircraft carrier to participate in joint drills with South Korea and Japan, according to the state news agency KCNA.
North Korea’s Vice Minister of Defence, Kim Kang Il, described the U.S. deployment of an aircraft carrier to the Korean peninsula as a “very dangerous” show of force, warning that it leaves the door open for North Korea’s “overwhelming, new demonstration of deterrence,” state media KCNA reported.
According to naval officials, the nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt arrived in the South Korean port city of Busan on Saturday to participate in upcoming joint military exercises with South Korea and Japan scheduled for later this month.
Putin’s visit to Pyongyang resulted in a pact signed with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, committing each side to provide immediate military assistance in the event of aggression against either nation. According to the Kremlin on Monday, Putin thanked Kim for his hospitality during the trip, which significantly enhanced bilateral relations.
Shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Pyongyang, Pak Jong Chon, a senior North Korean military official, stated that Moscow had the “right to choose any form of retaliatory strike” if Washington continued to escalate Ukraine towards a “proxy war” against Russia.
He referred to recent Pentagon statements stating that Ukrainian forces could use U.S.-supplied weapons to strike Russian forces anywhere across the border into Russia.
Washington and Seoul have expressed increasing concern about deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, accusing them of violating international laws by trading arms intended for use against Ukraine. Moscow and Pyongyang have denied these allegations.
