Defense chief says N. Korea-Russia arms trade likely to expand after new treaty

By Chae Yun-hwan

SEOUL, June 28 (Yonhap) -- Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said Friday arms trade between North Korea and Russia is expected to expand after their leaders signed a new partnership pact committing each other to closer military ties.

Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty during a summit in Pyongyang that calls for military assistance if one of them is attacked.

"As Kim Jong-un said (North Korea-Russia) relations were elevated to the level of an alliance, their ties are expected to further deepen," Shin said during an annual forum hosted by Yonhap News Agency in Seoul. "Illegal weapons trade between the two countries is also expected to expand."

Seoul and Washington have accused Pyongyang of delivering arms to Moscow to fuel its war against Ukraine since the two leaders' previous summit last September in Russia's Far East.

In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Shin said that South Korea has detected at least 10,000 shipping containers delivered from the North to Russia.

Shin slammed Russia over the arms transaction, calling it a "clear" violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and saying Moscow is committing a "self-contradictory" act as a permanent member of the key U.N. body.

"(Russia) is conducting a traitorous act against the international community," he said, noting that the arms trade poses a "serious" threat to the Korean Peninsula and the international community.

Shin also criticized North Korea's recent series of provocative acts, including its failed launch of a purported space rocket in May and recent launches of trash-carrying balloons to the South.

"The government is sternly responding to these security threats along with the international community," he said. "We will continue to strengthen the South Korea-U.S. alliance and trilateral security cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan."

As an example of such efforts, Shin pointed to the three countries' new exercise currently under way in international waters south of South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju.

On Thursday, the three countries launched the Freedom Edge exercise, the first multi-domain exercise between the three countries, mobilizing various warships and aircraft.

"Through Freedom Edge, South Korea, the United States and Japan will carry out their role as a bulwark and a sharp blade that defends the free world from forces that attempt to make changes to the status quo by force," he said.

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