| AFP United News |
North Korea has dispatched a high-level delegation to Iran, which was on the brink of a direct conflict with Israel. They also released a statement criticizing the ROK-US joint exercises and downplaying Russia. There is analysis that North Korea, Iran, and Russia are strengthening trilateral cooperation through missile technology and weapons.
According to the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the North Korean Workers’ Party, on the 27th, “A delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Trade, led by Comrade Yoon Jeong-ho, the Minister of Foreign Trade, departed Pyongyang by plane on the 23rd to visit Iran.”
Experts are paying attention to the fact that although the Minister of Foreign Trade is responsible for foreign economic cooperation, the visit is immediately after a direct military conflict between Iran and Israel. Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, explained, “It may appear to be economic cooperation, but it could be aimed at strengthening military cooperation. It also means that North Korea has sided with Iran in the Israel-Iran conflict.” He also evaluated, “Following Russia, we have started to earn foreign currency through military cooperation with Iran.”
The Rodong Sinmun also released a series of statements criticizing the ROK-US joint exercises and downplaying Russia, under the names of Kim Yo-jong, Vice Minister of the Workers’ Party, and Lim Chon-il, Vice Minister of Foreign Trade in charge of Russia.
In a statement titled “The enemy’s absurdity does not work for us,” Deputy Director Kim said, “The military exercises that the U.S. has conducted with its minions this year are over 80 times, and the drills that the South Korean puppets have carried out independently are over 60 times.” He said, “We will be able to see the main culprits in the worsening regional situation.” And he added, “All these exercises are ‘demonstrations’ to put the U.S.’s nuclear war scenarios against our Democratic People’s Republic of Korea into practice.”
| Korean Central Television |
Vice Minister Lim also took Russia’s side over the war between Russia and Ukraine, saying that It is a crusade of justice to protect (Russia’s) sovereign rights and security” and “No one can stop the heroic Russian military and the people’s advance.”
According to Voice of America’s report on the 27th, Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), said on the 25th (local time), “North Korea’s factories are running at full capacity for the production of military supplies for Russia.”
In a speech at an event hosted by the non-profit foundation Atlantic-Brücke in Germany, he pointed out, “What happens in Europe is important to Asia, and what happens in Asia is important to Europe. The support Russia receives from China, Iran, and North Korea proves this.”
He also said that if North Korea’s factories are running at full capacity to produce Russian military supplies, “Over the past six months, more than 10,000 containers have been delivered (from North Korea to Russia). This would be far more than one million rounds of ammunition.”
Secretary-General Stoltenberg warned, “Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea should not think they can get what they want through the use of force,” reminding democratic countries that they have a solid power to defend their values.
Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State who is visiting China, also met with President Xi Jinping and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing, urging China to “Prevent Iran and its proxies from waging conflict in the Middle East and to stop North Korea’s dangerous behavior and return to dialogue.”
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