US Raises Concerns on North Korea-Russia Military Ties

The United States has raised concerns at the United Nations Security Council that North Korea is gaining significant military experience and capability by assisting Russia in its conflict with Ukraine. Deputy U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Camille Shea reported that over 12,000 North Korean troops are currently in Russia, actively participating in combat against Ukrainian forces. This involvement is said to enhance North Korea's ability to wage war against its neighbors and potentially leverage this experience for global military sales and training contracts. North Korea, meanwhile, has defended its recent missile tests as a legitimate exercise of self-defense, accusing the US of double standards in its international policies. Russia has formed closer diplomatic and military ties with North Korea since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with allegations from the US of technology-sharing between the two nations. Russia has dismissed these accusations as baseless, while its UN Ambassador claims that US-led military exercises provoke North Korea.