S. Korea to review additional measures against N. Korea's arms transfer to Russia

South Korea plans to review additional measures against growing military ties between North Korea and Russia, a senior government official said Saturday, following revelations that Pyongyang has delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Moscow for use in Ukraine.

The White House announced Friday that the North has made such a delivery in recent weeks, amid speculation that a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin last month might have led to an arms deal.

In response to the revelations, a senior official at Seoul's foreign ministry said the government will "monitor the trends in military cooperation between Russia and North Korea and consider further measures."

Last month, Seoul imposed unilateral sanctions on 10 individuals and two entities involved in North Korea's illegal weapons trade with other countries, including Russia. North Korean Defense Minister Kang Sun-nam was one of those included.

The ministry official added that cooperation between Russia and North Korea related to arms trading "constitutes a clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and poses a serious threat to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula."

The official stressed that the government was closely monitoring the trends related to violations of UNSC sanctions against North Korea and that it will work in cooperation with the international community to make sure that the resolutions are thoroughly implemented through diplomatic efforts. (Yonhap)

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