Kim Jong Un’s sister denies arms exchange with Russia, report says

SEOUL – Ms Kim Yo Jong, powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, again denied arms exchanges with Russia, state media KCNA reported on May 17, saying her nation’s recently developed and updated weapon systems are not for sale to other countries.

The US and South Korea accused North Korea of transferring weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine,

which it invaded in February 2022.

Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied the claims but vowed in 2023 to deepen military relations.

Ties between the two countries have strengthened following Mr Kim’s visit to Russia’s far east in September and a summit with President Vladimir Putin.

But Ms Kim said the North Korea-Russia arms deal “theory” is made up of prejudice and fiction. It is the “most absurd theory” that does not deserve anyone’s evaluation or interpretation, according to KCNA quoting her press statement, calling it a false rumour spread by its hostile forces.

She added that North Korea’s weapons are not for export but defence against South Korea.

The two countries remain technically at war because their 1950 to 1953 conflict ended in a truce, not a treaty.

Over the last month, North Korea has deployed thousands of troops and set up mines, barbed wire and guard posts along an already heavily armed border with its neighbour, South Korean newspaper Dong-A Ilbo reported on May 17, citing government sources.

South Korea’s defence ministry said it is monitoring the activities but declined to elaborate further, citing the safety of its soldiers.

The US announced fresh sanctions on May 16 on two Russian individuals and three Russian companies for facilitating arms transfers between Russia and North Korea, including ballistic missiles for use in Ukraine.

The debris from a missile that landed in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Jan 2 was from a North Korean Hwasong-11 series ballistic missile, United Nations sanctions monitors told a Security Council committee in a report seen by Reuters.

The leaders of North Korea’s major partners China and Russia met on May 16 and criticised Washington and its allies for their “intimidation in the military sphere” against North Korea, according to a joint statement from Mr Putin and President Xi Jinping.

Against a backdrop of stronger security ties and three-way drills among the US, South Korea and Japan, US and South Korean stealth fighters staged combat manoeuvres on May 16, South Korea’s air force said.

Amid a growing partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang, North Korea’s ambassador to Russia on May 16 called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy a US puppet, and said Russia would emerge victorious in its conflict with Kyiv, KCNA reported. REUTERS