The United States has expressed concern over China and Russia helping North Korea’s military expansion as Seoul warned about potential “Hamas-style tactics” by Pyongyang.
US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said “we are deeply concerned that the PRC (People’s Republic of China) and Russia are helping the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) expand its capabilities by enabling it to evade sanctions from the UN Security council”.
He added: “We’re also troubled by the recent growth in military cooperation between Russia and the DPRK.”
The US accuses North Korea of supplying military equipment to Russia for its use in its war with Ukraine and Moscow of providing technical support to help Pyongyang.
South Korean defence minister Shin Won-sik said North Korea had been warned not to attempt any aggressive acts. “If North Korea ever invades the South again, it will be self-contradictory, where a UN member state would be attacking the UN Command.”
He continued: “If the countries that backed North Korea during the Korean War ever try to help again, then those countries will also receive grave punishment from the international community along with North Korea.”
On Sunday, South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol advised Mr Austin to stay vigilant against potential North Korean attacks. He warned that there was a need to be prepared for surprise assaults by North Korea resembling “Hamas-style tactics”.
Ever since Hamas carried out the attacks on Israel on 7 October, South Korean politicians have raised alarms over North’s capacity to carry out a similar attack on the South.
The Chair of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff last month said that if Pyongyang were to start a conflict with the South in the future, there is evidence suggesting “it could follow a similar pattern to the Hamas invasion”.
While Hamas launched 5,000 rockets into Israel on 7 October, Pyongyang’s artillery has the capacity to fire an estimated 16,000 rounds per hour, according to reports.
In response to this threat, Seoul is actively developing its own missile defence system, modelled after Israel’s Iron Dome, BBC reported.
Last month, South Korean and US troops conducted their joint live-fire exercises to enhance their preparedness in responding to potential “Hamas-style surprise artillery attacks” by North Korea.
In a simulated response to “the enemy’s (possible) Hamas-style surprise artillery attacks”, the exercises practised strikes designed to “remove the origins of the enemy’s long-range artillery provocations at an early date”, South Korea’s Ground Operations Command said in a statement.
In response to North Korea’s advancing nuclear programme, South Korea and the United States have been intensifying their regular military drills. Over the past year, North Korea has conducted more than 100 missile tests, including simulated nuclear attacks targeting both South Korea and the United States.
Meanwhile, on Monday, during a press briefing, South Korea’s minister of national defence said: “North Korea continues to advance its nuclear and missile capability. It’s making blatant threats of nuclear usage by stipulating offensive nuclear force policy in its constitution.
“Secretary Austin and I reaffirm the steadfast commitment of both countries to the powerful ROK-US combined defence posture to deter and respond to such threats by North Korea.”
Mr Shin also expressed satisfaction over the “progress” in defence cooperation between the US, South Korea and Japan. “I am really proud of the progress that we have made in recent years in terms of the cooperation between our three countries. We see more trilateral cooperation than we have ever seen.”
