SEOUL, Jan 29 (Portal) – North Korea spent a second day on Sunday criticizing a US decision to send tanks to Ukraine, calling it an “unethical crime” aimed at perpetuating an unstable international situation.
Washington’s claims that North Korea has supplied arms to Russia are an “unfounded rumor” to justify its own military aid to Ukraine, said Kwon Chung-keun, director of U.S. affairs at North Korea’s State Department, in a statement provided by State News agency KCNA.
“The US is working hard to supply Ukraine with offensive weapons such as (main battle tanks) at any cost, regardless of the legitimate concerns and criticisms of the international community,” the statement said. “This is an unethical crime aimed at keeping the international situation unstable.”
The unfounded allegations of arms deals between North Korea and Russia are a “grave provocation that can never be allowed” and their continuation will bring a “truly undesirable outcome,” Kwon added.
On Saturday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, condemned US pledges of main battle tanks to Ukraine and claimed Washington would “continue to cross the red line” to win hegemony through a proxy war, KCNA reported .
Nuclear-armed North Korea has launched an unprecedented number of missiles, including ICBMs, capable of reaching the US mainland over the past year. US and South Korean officials have also warned the North could be preparing for its first test of a nuclear device since 2017.
The White House said in December that North Korea had completed an initial arms delivery of infantry rockets and missiles to a Russian private military company, the Wagner Group, to shore up Russian forces in Ukraine.
reporting by Josh Smith; Editing by Cynthia Osterman
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