Senior US official warns of North Korean nuclear threats and aid to Russia

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said Wednesday that Washington and its allies were “alarmed” by North Korea's nuclear and missile threats as well as its increasing military support for Russia's war in Ukraine, but said he could The Ukrainian claims that Pyongyang is also sending soldiers to fight for Moscow are not confirmed.

Campbell spoke to reporters following discussions with South Korean and Japanese counterparts about reviving an international pressure campaign against North Korea that had stalled in recent years due to a widening rift in the U.N. Security Council.

On Wednesday, Washington, Seoul and Tokyo announced plans to join eight Western governments in forming a new multinational team to monitor enforcement of sanctions against North Korea.

Russia vetoed a UN resolution in March, effectively eliminating UN expert monitoring of Security Council sanctions against North Korea. This sparked Western accusations that Moscow wanted to shield its arms purchases from Pyongyang to fuel its war in Ukraine.

Campbell said there are signs that North Korea is increasing its materiel support, including artillery and missiles, in support of Russia's war against Ukraine, which he said is “leading to further instability in Europe.” He said the United States was still evaluating reports that North Korea was also sending personnel.

“We are concerned about them and … we have agreed that we will continue to monitor the situation closely,” Campbell said of the claims.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that North Korea is sending military personnel to support Russia's war effort, without giving details. Ukrainian media reported earlier this month that six North Koreans were among the victims of a Ukrainian missile attack on October 3.

North Korea has also made increasingly provocative threats against rival South Korea, including accusing the South of infiltrating drones to drop anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets over Pyongyang threatened to attack the south if it happens again. North Korea also on Tuesday blew up the northern sections of unused road and rail lines that once linked it to South Korea, in a choreographed blast aimed at demonstrating its growing anger at South Korea's conservative government.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have increased since 2022, when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un used Russia's war against Ukraine as a window to step up his weapons testing activities and threats. In response, Washington, Seoul and Tokyo have increased their joint military exercises and taken steps to strengthen their nuclear deterrence strategies based on US strategic assets.

After his talks with Campbell and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano, South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong Kyun said the countries condemned the North's “deliberate steps to create tensions.”

“We agreed to maintain a solid common stance between South Korea and the US to respond decisively to North Korean provocations and strengthen security cooperation through close coordination between South Korea, the US and Japan,” Kim said.