Blinken is concerned by growing Russia-North Korea military ties.

On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed sympathy with South Korea over the increased military cooperation—dubbed a “two-way street” involving arms transfers and technical assistance—between North Korea and Russia.

In addition, Blinken and South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin said that they talked about strengthening ties with Japan and utilizing U.S. military resources, including its nuclear capabilities, to fend off threats from North Korea. This policy is known as extended deterrence.

Blinken stated during a news conference in the capital of South Korea, “We have serious concerns about any support for North Korea’s ballistic missile programs, for its nuclear technology, and for its space launch capacity.” “We’re working to identify, expose, and, as necessary, counter these efforts.”

As part of a more extended trip around Asia, Blinken visited Japan and will now stop in India. His two-day visit to South Korea is his first in 2.5 years.

He arrived in Asia from the Middle East, where the Gaza crisis and the war in Ukraine have overshadowed Washington’s efforts to focus on the Indo-Pacific region.

The United States and its allies have denounced what they claim is the transfer of weapons and military hardware from North Korea to Russia for use in Ukraine, and there have been reports of North Korean weaponry being used in Gaza.

Despite their leaders’ promises of further military cooperation at their September meeting in the deep east of Russia, North Korea, and Russia have denied ever having any arms transactions.

According to Blinken, Russia was receiving military hardware from North Korea for use in the conflict with Ukraine, while the North was receiving technical assistance from Russia to advance its military capabilities.

“That’s a real concern for the security of the Korean Peninsula, a real concern for global non-proliferation regimes, a real concern for the Russian aggression on Ukraine, and a real concern for the violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions,” he stated.

He stated that in response to North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons and missiles against U.N. Security Council resolutions, the United States and its two partners in East Asia were stepping up their collaboration.

Park stated that although the tensions between North Korea and Russia were not in Beijing’s best interests, Beijing might still benefit from China’s active involvement in resolving them.

According to Duyeon Kim, an analyst with the Center for New American Security, Blinken’s brief visit to Seoul shows the United States’ commitment to the Korean Peninsula and regional issues and that the allies are carrying out the agreements made in previous presidential summits, even in the face of urgent conflicts elsewhere.

“Still, it will be important for the U.S. to sustain attention at all levels of the government because North Korea and even China would think it now has more room to maneuver,” she stated.

HAMAS-NORTH KOREA: A GLANCE
Blinken and the other foreign ministers of the G7 denounced North Korea’s weaponry sale to Russia on Wednesday while they were in Japan, claiming it to be a clear breach of resolutions passed by the U.N. Security Council.

In addition, the G7 ministers demanded that Israel and Hamas take breaks from hostilities so that supplies of humanitarian relief could reach Gaza’s civilian population following a month of shelling and escalating ground operations by Israel’s armed forces.

Park stated that he was closely observing rumors of North Korea’s assistance to Hamas and that he agreed with Blinken and the G7 ministers to call for humanitarian breaks in the combat.

“We are keeping a close eye on any North Korean link to weapons that Hamas is using, or Hamas’ doctrine or strategies—all of those activities,” Park stated. “If any link is confirmed, I think North Korea should be condemned accordingly.”

North Korea has refuted claims made by confident military analysts that Hamas was using its weaponry, claiming the claim was a ruse by the United States to deflect criticism from its obligations.

As Blinken arrived for talks with Park, a group of South Korean protesters welcomed him and demanded that South Korea refuse to support what one participant referred to as “the U.S.-Israel policy” and that Israel declare a truce.

Park claimed that Blinken and he also talked about North Korea’s planned launch of a spy satellite and encouraged it to abort.

It is thought North Korea is getting ready for its third launch attempt, having already failed to place one into orbit twice this year. Last week, South Korea announced that North Korea, ostensibly receiving technical assistance from Russia, was nearing the end of its launch preparations.