North Korea-Russia arms transfers threaten global security

FORUM Staff

More than 40 nations have condemned North Korea’s export and Russia’s procurement of ballistic missiles for Moscow’s unprovoked war on Ukraine.

North Korea provided Russia with several dozen such missiles and missile launchers, violating United Nations resolutions that ban arms exports from Pyongyang and undermining global nonproliferation efforts, United States officials said in January 2024.

Russia is a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, which has adopted multiple arms embargos and other resolutions to restrain the North’s nuclear weapons programs. Russia supported the U.N. sanctions but has reversed course and called for loosening restrictions.

Moscow launched multiple North Korean ballistic missiles into Ukraine in December 2023 and January, according to U.S. officials. The illegally obtained weapons were used in attacks on cities and civilian infrastructure across the country, according to U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

“The Russian Federation’s pattern of behavior — flouting its responsibilities as a member of the U.N. Security Council and Member State, propping up regimes engaged in proliferation of arms, ballistic missiles, and related materiel — is unacceptable,” she said. “Meanwhile, [North Korea] seeks to improve its nuclear weapons delivery systems, having conducted more than 30 launches using ballistic missile technology in 2023 — all in violation of multiple Security Council resolutions.”

In a U.N. Security Council briefing January 10, South Korean Ambassador Hwang Joon-kook said Russian launches of the North’s missiles into Ukraine not only defy international humanitarian law and U.N. resolutions but are also a “clear and present demonstration of the existential threat” Seoul faces from Pyongyang. He said the North is using Ukraine as a test site for its nuclear-capable missiles, which “amounts to a simulated attack” against South Korea.

“And as these launches provide technical and military insights to [North Korea], it can be further encouraged to export ballistic missiles to other countries and rake in new revenue to further finance its illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programs,” Hwang said.

The Kremlin refused to say whether it used North Korean missiles, but Russia’s ambassador to the U.N. stopped short of a denial during the January meeting.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is seeking military assistance from Russia, including fighter aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, armored vehicles and ballistic missile technology, in return for his regime’s support, according to the White House.

“This would have concerning security implications … for the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region,” U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in January.

South Korea’s intelligence agency said in November 2023 that the North launched a spy satellite — after two failed attempts — with help from Russia, according to the Yonhap News Agency. The South also said Russia’s technical assistance was in return for artillery shells and other munitions the Kim regime supplied to Moscow for use in Ukraine.

The North Korean artillery’s effectiveness was questionable, The New York Times newspaper reported, citing Ukrainian and U.S. officials who said many of the shells were old and performed poorly.

The joint statement condemning North Korea’s export and Russia’s import of ballistic missile systems was signed in early January.

“The transfer of these weapons increases the suffering of the Ukrainian people, supports Russia’s war of aggression, and undermines the global non-proliferation regime,” the statement said. “We are deeply concerned about the security implications that this cooperation has in Europe, on the Korean Peninsula, across the Indo-Pacific region, and around the world.”