The United States and South Korea will respond to military-technical cooperation between Russia and North Korea. After the meeting with the South Korean partners, the US State Department published the joint statement accepted by the parties.
They urged Russia and the DPRK to abide by international law, including the relevant UNSC resolutions. Both sides committed to enforce the current autonomous sanctions regime and actively pursue necessary measures together with the international community to deter further unlawful, reckless, and destabilizing behavior.
They made clear that this military cooperation between Russia and the DPRK constitutes not only a violation of multiple UNSC resolutions but also prolongs the suffering of the Ukrainian people and threatens stability in both the Indo-Pacific and Europe.
The United States reaffirmed its commitment to the defense of the ROK. The Secretaries and Ministers further pledged to enhance the Alliance’s deterrence posture and emphasized the importance of maintaining joint readiness against shared regional and global threats through combined training and exercises. The Secretaries and Ministers noted that U.S. forces in the ROK continue to play a critical role in maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region, and committed to ensure that we have the force posture and capabilities necessary to meet our common challenges.
Both sides reiterated that the ironclad U.S. extended deterrence commitment to the ROK is backed by the full range of U.S. capabilities, including nuclear.
At the same time, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that South Korea and the United States conducted joint exercises involving drones for the first time. The South Korean RQ-4B Global Hawk reconnaissance drone and the American MQ 9 Reaper attack drone took part in them, and GBU-38 "smart ammunition" was also used.
