The Russians have a new source of munitions to help them in their continuing war effort in Ukraine:
North Korea has delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to Russia in recent weeks for use in Ukraine, a White House official said Friday, lambasting burgeoning cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow as a threat to regional stability.
In a press briefing, John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, disclosed the information, amid persistent speculation that the Sept. 13 summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin might have led to an arms deal.
Kirby also voiced concerns about possible Russian assistance to the North in return for arms support, disclosing the U.S.’ observation that Russian ships offloaded containers in the North, which he said “may constitute the initial deliveries of material from Russia.”
It sounds like the U.S. needs to invest in more missile defense to keep up with the threat:
North Korea is “on pace” to deploy sufficient nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) to overcome the U.S. missile defense and may be preparing for a nuclear test to enable tactical nuclear operations, a congressional report showed Thursday.
The Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States issued the final report. It was launched by the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2022 to examine America’s long-term strategic posture.
If North Korea conducts a nuclear test getting international attention seems to be reason why they would do it, not a food crisis as the ROK government is speculating. A nuclear test may also be something done in coordination with Iran to divert U.S. resources from the Middle East as Iran continues to use its proxies there to wage war on Israel and Sunni Arab states:
The reigniting of the Israel-Hamas conflict, coupled with Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, could shift the United States’ attention further away from North Korea’s nuclear quandary, analysts said Tuesday.
The conflict flared up following the Palestinian militant group’s deadly surprise attack on Israel on Saturday, as Washington’s stated commitment to diplomacy with Pyongyang has fallen on deaf years amid the North’s unceasing drive for nuclear armament.
President Joe Biden pledged “full support” for Israel. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin deployed the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) Carrier Strike Group to the Eastern Mediterranean while Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed the U.S.’ “solidarity” with Israel.
The U.S.’ apparent reapportioning of diplomatic and security resources for conflicts in the Middle East and Eastern Europe has raised speculation that it would be harder for the U.S. to pay more attention to addressing the North Korean conundrum.
It seems like we have been talking about North Korea conducting a possible nuclear test for the past two years and for whatever reason they haven’t done one yet. I am not convinced that a food crisis is what is going to cause them to conduct a new nuclear test:
Defense Minister Shin Won-sik speaks during a visit to the command center of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division in Paju, 37 kilometers north of Seoul, on Oct. 9, 2023, in this photo provided by his office. (Yonhap)
North Korea may stage various provocations, including a nuclear test, to divert its public’s attention from the country’s ongoing food crisis, South Korea’s defense ministry said Tuesday.
The ministry made the assessment in a policy report for a parliamentary audit amid growing tensions after North Korea revised its constitution late last month to stipulate the policy of strengthening its nuclear force.
“In order to pass on internal complaints of food woes and failures in economic policy to the outside world, there is a possibility of (the North) conducting various strategic and tactical provocations, including a seventh nuclear test,” the ministry said in the report.
The isolated regime, which has faced chronic food shortages, last conducted a nuclear test in September 2017.
Rice harvest in N. Korea North Korean farmers use machines to harvest rice on a sprawling area of rice paddies in the North Korean county of Anbyon, Kangwon Province, North Korea, on Sept. 24, 2023, in this photo captured from the North’s Korean Central Television the next day. The broadcaster reported that the farmland, damaged by Typhoon Khanun this summer, is expected to produce more yield than in the average year. (Yonhap)
N. Korean reports on Asian Games This photo, captured from North Korea’s state-run Central TV on Sept. 26, 2023, shows highlights from the ongoing Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. The broadcaster made these reports for the first time on the same day, three days after the opening of the games. (Yonhap)
TOP NEWS OF THE WEEK: South Korea has unilaterally sanctioned North Korean officials for their alleged involvement in arms sales with Russia and other countries, the development of the DPRK’s nuclear and missile programs, and illegal financial transactions.https://t.co/2QSYOZU9x5
N. Korea at Asian Games A group of North Koreans cheers for their men’s football team during an Asian Games preliminary match against Taiwan at a stadium in the Chinese city of Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, on Sept. 19, 2023. North Korea is reported to send some 200 athletes to the Asian Games that will take place in the Chinese city of Hangzhou from Sept. 23-Oct. 8. (Yonhap)
