Russia provided North Korea with oil, anti-air missiles and economic help in exchange for troops to support Moscow’s war on Ukraine, government officials and a research group said yesterday.
The US and South Korea have accused the nuclear-armed North of sending more than 10,000 soldiers to help Russia fight Ukraine, with experts saying North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was eager to gain advanced technology and battle experience for his troops, in return.
Asked what Seoul believes the North has received for the deployment, South Korea’s top security adviser Shin Won-sik said: “It has been identified that equipment and anti-aircraft missiles aimed at reinforcing Pyongyang’s vulnerable air defense system have been delivered to North Korea.”
Photo: KCNA VIA KNS / AFP
Speaking to local broadcaster SBS, Shin added that North Korea has received “various forms of economic support.”
Lee Illwoo, an expert with the Korea Defense Network in South Korea, said that Russia has likely sent S-400 long-range surface-to-air missiles, launchers and ground-based radar systems.
He said that North Korea is capable of building shorter-range surface-to-air missiles on its own.
The S-400 missile, with a range of 400km, is considered one of Russia’s most advanced anti-aircraft weapons. However, Lee questioned how significantly it can boost Pyongyang’s air defense, saying Russian air defense systems have failed to effectively deal with Ukrainian drone assaults.
Separately, non-profit research group Open Source Centre said Pyongyang obtained oil shipments from Russia.
It cited satellite images showing that more than a dozen North Korean oil tankers making a total of 43 trips to an oil terminal at a Russian port over the past eight months, a BBC report said.
Pictures also showed empty tanks leaving almost full after arrival, the report said, quoting British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy as saying that the oil was payment for weapons and troops Pyongyang had sent to Moscow.
Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a strategic partnership treaty in June, during the Kremlin chief’s visit.
It obligates both states to provide military assistance “without delay” in the case of an attack on the other and to cooperate internationally to oppose Western sanctions.
Additional reporting by AP
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
RSS