Russia plans to share advanced satellite technology with North Korea, according to a warning from Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“The DPRK is already receiving Russian military equipment and training. Now we have reason to believe that Moscow intends to share advanced space and satellite technologies with Pyongyang,” Blinken said in Seoul, using The official name of North Korea.
Such technology would allow North Korea to identify targets and direct strikes against adversaries around the world, including the United States. Last year, North Korea was estimated to have an arsenal of 50 nuclear weapons.
The warning comes as North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, expanding its weapons tests in the weeks before the president’s election. Donald Trump takes office.
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul attend a joint news conference in South Korea. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
In one of his last movements at the head of the Department of State, Blinken was visiting Seoul for talks with South Korean allies on the North Korean nuclear threat. He will also meet officials in Japan, France, Italy and the Holy See.
The provision of satellite technology to North Korea would come after North Korea provided Russia with troops and weapons to fight in its war against Ukraine.
Russia “may be on the verge” of accepting North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, reversing decades of commitment to the DPRK’s denuclearization.
“The DPRK already receives Russian military equipment and training. We now have reason to believe that Moscow intends to share advanced space and satellite technologies with Pyongyang,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
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Russia helped North Korea successfully launch its first satellite in 2023. A Russian rocket launched Iranian satellites into orbit in November, intensifying the 21st century space race between the United States and its enemies.
Last year, Rep. Mike Turner, Republican of Ohio, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, issued an ominous warning calling on the Biden administration to declassify information that was later found to concern Russia’s anti-satellite capabilities.
A man walks past a television broadcasting a report on North Korea firing a ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast, in Seoul, South Korea. (Reuters/Kim Hong-Ji)
In May, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy John Plumb warned that Russia was developing an “indiscriminate” nuclear weapon designed for space, highlighting its potential impacts on communications, commerce and national security.
At year-end policy conference, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to implement his ‘harshest’ anti-US policies and condemned the Biden administration for strengthening ties with South Korea and Japan, calling the alliance a “nuclear military bloc for aggression.” “.
During his term, President-elect Trump met with Kim three times to discuss nuclear programs. However, emboldened by Russian support and less enforcement of international sanctions, Kim may be less likely than ever to walk away from negotiations with the United States.
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It’s also unclear whether Trump would place the same emphasis on strengthening U.S. alliances in Asia as the Biden administration. In the past, he has complained about the cost of keeping 28,000 U.S. troops in South Korea to deter threats from the north and pushed Seoul to increase its own defense contributions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.