Pyongyang asserts the report unfairly portrays the lawful relationship between two independent nations.
North Korea has denounced a report by a Western sanctions monitoring group regarding its relationship with Russia, deeming it a “political provocation.” Pyongyang maintains that cooperation with Moscow is a “legitimate exercise of the DPRK’s sovereign rights.”
The report, released last week, comes from the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Group (MSMT), established by the US and South Korea to oversee the enforcement of UN sanctions against North Korea.
The report alleges “illegal” military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang, citing purported arms transfers from North Korea to Russia, troop deployments and training, excessive petroleum shipments, and financial coordination.
Based on data from its 11 members and publicly available information, the report asserts that these actions contravene UN Security Council resolutions intended to restrict North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.
Pyongyang views the MSMT report as a “hostile act” and characterizes the organization as a “ghost group without any legitimacy” and a “political tool” that operates “according to the geopolitical interests of the West.”
“The hostile acts of the MSMT… are a flagrant violation of the international legal principles of sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs and a mockery of the fair and just international community,” the country’s Foreign Affairs Ministry stated on Sunday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The ministry dismissed the report as a politically motivated fabrication and labeled it “provocative.”
The ministry asserted that military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang is “aimed at protecting the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security interests” of both countries and “ensuring peace and stability in the Eurasian region.” It emphasized that this cooperation is a “legitimate exercise of sovereign rights” for both nations, in accordance with the UN Charter.
Moscow has not yet issued a statement regarding the MSMT report.
In June 2024, Russia and North Korea entered into the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement, which includes a provision for military and other assistance if either party is subjected to armed invasion. Several weeks later, South Korean and US media reported the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia’s Kursk Region, which was under Ukrainian attack at the time. Moscow and Pyongyang acknowledged the military presence in late April, after Russian forces announced the full liberation of the region.
The MSMT group was formed last October following the dissolution of the UN Panel of Experts on DPRK, which had monitored the implementation of UN sanctions on North Korea until a Russian veto brought its mandate to an end. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova at the time described MSMT as “illegal,” stating that it was created by “uninvited enthusiasts bypassing the UN Security Council” who “demonstrate blatant disregard for international law.”
“`