Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned that Russia plans to share advanced satellite technology with North Korea.
While in Seoul, Blinken said, using North Korea's official name, “North Korea is already receiving Russian military equipment and training, and I believe Russia intends to share advanced space and satellite technology with North Korea.'' I now have a reason.”
Such technology would allow North Korea to identify targets and attack adversaries around the world, including the United States. As of last year, North Korea was estimated to have 50 nuclear weapons.
The warning came after North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan and expanded its weapons tests in the weeks before President-elect Donald Trump took office.
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol attend a joint press conference in South Korea. (AP Photo/Lee Jin Man)
In one of his final acts as secretary of state, Blinken was visiting Seoul to consult with South Korean allies about the nuclear threat from North Korea. He will also visit officials from Japan, France, Italy and the Holy See.
Providing satellite technology to North Korea comes after North Korea supplied troops and weapons to Russia to fight the war against Ukraine.
Russia “may be close” to reversing decades of commitments to North Korea's denuclearization and accepting North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
“North Korea is already receiving Russian military equipment and training, and we now have reason to believe that Russia intends to share advanced space and satellite technology with North Korea,” 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. In November, a Russian rocket launched an Iranian satellite into orbit, intensifying the 21st century space race between the United States and its adversaries.
Last year, Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, urged the Biden administration to declassify information that was later revealed to be about Russia's anti-satellite capabilities. issued an ominous warning.
A man walks past a television broadcasting news that North Korea has launched a ballistic missile off the east coast of Seoul in Seoul, South Korea. (Reuters/Kim Hongji)
John Plum, assistant secretary of defense for space policy, warned in May that Russia was developing “indiscriminate” nuclear weapons designed for space, highlighting the potential impact on communications, commerce and national security. did.
At a year-end political conference, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to carry out the “harshest” anti-American policy, criticized the Biden administration for strengthening ties with South Korea and Japan, and called the alliance “an invasion.” “Nuclear military bloc.” . ”
President-elect Trump met with Kim three times during his administration to discuss the country's nuclear program. But with Russian support and a loosening of enforcement of international sanctions, Mr. Kim may be less likely than ever to make concessions in talks with the United States.
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It is also unclear whether President Trump will place the same emphasis on strengthening US alliances in Asia as the Biden administration. In the past, he has called on Seoul to increase its own defense spending, complaining about the cost of keeping 28,000 U.S. troops in South Korea to thwart threats from the North.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
