As Putin heads for North Korea, South fires warning shots at North Korean soldiers who temporarily crossed border

Seoul, South Korea – Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked North Korea to support its actions in Ukraine and said their countries will cooperate closely to overcome US-led sanctions as he went to Pyongyang on Tuesday for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Putin’s visit comes as tensions on the Korean peninsula reached its highest point in years, with the pace of both Kim’s weapons tests and combined military exercises between the United States, South Korea and Japan intensifying in a cycle of retaliation. The Koreas also engaged in Cold War-style psychological warfare, which involved North Korea throwing tons of trash in the South with balloons and in the South broadcasting anti-Korean propaganda with their loudspeakers.

South Korea’s military said soldiers fired warning shots to repel North Korean soldiers who temporarily crossed the rivals’ land border on Tuesday for the second time this month. The South’s military said North Korea has increased construction activity in front-line border areas, such as installing suspected anti-tank barriers, reinforcing roads and laying landmines.

The countries are still technically at war, as the 1950-1953 conflict ended with an armistice. The Demilitarized Zone that divides them is one of the most mined places on the planet.

But Pyongyang is laying more landmines, reinforcing tactical roads and adding what appear to be anti-tank barriers, Seoul’s military said, according to Agence France-Presse.

The outlet reports that the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it believed Tuesday’s incident — like a previous one earlier this month — was accidental, with about 20 to 30 North Korean soldiers carrying work tools involved.

Putin’s comments appeared in an opinion piece in North Korean state media hours before he arrived in the North for a two-day visit, as the countries deepen their alignment in the face of separate and increasingly intense clashes with Washington.

Putin, who will make his first visit to North Korea in 24 years, said he greatly appreciates its staunch support for the invasion of Ukraine. He said countries would continue to “resolutely oppose” what he described as Western ambitions to “prevent the establishment of a multipolarized world order based on mutual respect for justice.”

Putin also said Russia and North Korea will develop unspecified trade and payments systems “that are not controlled by the West” and will jointly oppose sanctions against the countries, which he described as “unilateral and illegal restrictive measures.”

North Korea is under heavy economic sanctions from the UN Security Council over its nuclear weapons and missile programs, while Russia is also facing sanctions from the United States and its Western partners over its aggression in Ukraine.

Putin said the countries will also expand cooperation in tourism, culture and education.

Putin’s visit comes amid growing concerns about an arms deal in which Pyongyang provides Moscow with badly needed munitions to fuel Putin’s war in Ukraine, in exchange for economic assistance and technology transfers that would increase the threat posed by the program. of Kim’s nuclear weapons and missiles.

Military, economic and other exchanges between North Korea and Russia have increased sharply since Kim visited the Russian Far East in September for a meeting with Putin, his first since 2019.

U.S. and South Korean officials have accused the North of providing Russia with artillery, missiles and other military equipment to help prolong its fighting in Ukraine, possibly in exchange for key military technologies and aid. Both Pyongyang and Moscow have denied allegations of North Korean arms transfers, which would violate multiple UN Security Council sanctions previously endorsed by Russia.

Along with China, Russia has provided political cover for Kim’s continued efforts to advance his nuclear arsenal, repeatedly blocking US-led efforts to impose new UN sanctions on the North over its weapons tests.

In March, a Russian veto at the United Nations ended monitoring of UN sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear program, leading to Western accusations that Moscow is trying to avoid scrutiny by buying weapons from Pyongyang for use. in Ukraine.

Earlier this year, Putin sent Kim a high-quality Aurus Senat limousine, which he showed to the North Korean leader when they met for a summit in September. Observers said the shipment violated a UN resolution banning the supply of luxury goods to North Korea.

John Kirby, spokesman for the US National Security Council, said the deepening relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang is worrying, “not only because of the impacts it will have on the Ukrainian people, because we know that North Korean ballistic missiles are still to be used to hit Ukrainian targets, but because there could be some reciprocity here that could affect security on the Korean Peninsula.”

“We haven’t seen the parameters of all this now, we certainly haven’t seen it come to fruition. But we will certainly be watching this very, very closely,” he said.

Lim Soosuk, a spokesman for South Korea’s Foreign Ministry, said Seoul has emphasized to Moscow that any cooperation between Russia and North Korea must not “go in a direction that violates North Korean Security Council resolutions.” UN or harm peace and stability in the region.”

Lim also reiterated Seoul’s regret over Russia’s decision to veto a UN resolution in March that effectively abolished monitoring by UN experts of the application of Security Council sanctions against North Korea. U.S. and South Korean officials said they are discussing options for a new monitoring mechanism for the North.

Putin has continually sought to rebuild ties with Pyongyang as part of efforts to restore his country’s influence and Soviet-era alliances. Moscow’s ties with North Korea weakened after the Soviet collapse in 1991. Kim Jong Un first met Putin in 2019 at the eastern Russian port of Vladivostok.

After North Korea, the Kremlin said Putin will also visit Vietnam on Wednesday and Thursday for talks that are expected to focus on trade. The United States, which has spent years strengthening ties and accelerating trade with Vietnam, criticized Putin’s planned visit.

“As Russia continues to seek international support to sustain its illegal and brutal war against Ukraine, we reiterate that no country should give Putin a platform to promote his war of aggression and otherwise allow him to normalize his atrocities.” , said a spokesperson for the US Embassy in Vietnam. said in a statement.