Russian Oil Shipments to North Korea Violate UN Limits, White House Says
Russia quietly shipped more than 165,000 barrels of refined petroleum to North Korea in March and could continue the shipments indefinitely, White House spokesperson John Kirby said yesterday (Reuters)
UN sanctions limit North Korea’s annual oil imports; this week, a UN panel monitoring North Korea’s compliance was disbanded following a Russian vote to end it (WaPo)
North Korea Conducts First Drill Simulating Nuclear Counterattack
Meanwhile, the United States and South Korea prepared to discuss cost-sharing regarding Seoul hosting U.S. troops, North Korea’s official news agency said today (Japan Times).
U.S. Ambassador to UN Visits Border Between North, South Korea
Linda Thomas-Greenfield invited North Korea to return to stalled nuclear disarmament talks and urged China and Russia to stop “rewarding bad behavior” by North Korea on today’s visit; Moscow recently vetoed the renewal of UN sanctions monitors on Pyongyang, while Beijing abstained (Bloomberg; Reuters)
Thomas-Greenfield’s visit is the most significant trip by a U.S. official to the demilitarized zone by a Joe Biden administration official since 2022 (SCMP)
China Sending Highest-Level Delegation to North Korea in Five Yeaars
Few further details were announced about the visit, which will span from Thursday to Saturday and include the third-highest-ranking official in China’s ruling Communist Party (AP)
Russia Summons South Korean Ambassador to Protest Seoul’s Sanctions
The sanctions imposed on Tuesday targeted Russians involved in helping North Korean tech workers travel abroad and in shipping military supplies between Pyongyang and Moscow (Yonhap)
Pyongyang Fires Apparent Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile Off Eastern Coast
Analysts say North Korea is attempting to produce missiles that could reach the U.S. Pacific hub of Guam and beyond (AP)
Russia Disbands UN Watchdog Tracking North Korea Sanctions
Russia invoked its veto at a UN Security Council vote to block the reauthorization of a panel that monitors compliance with sanctions on North Korea; the panel said last week that it was investigating reports that Russia breached those sanctions by buying and using North Korean weapons in its war against Ukraine (BBC)
The panel has been renewed annually for fourteen years; this is the first time Moscow has obstructed it (AP)
North Korea Test Fires Multiple Short-Range Ballistic Missiles During Blinken Visit
They were thought to be the first such launches in around a month; Blinken’s visit to attend the Summit for Democracy in Seoul includes meetings with both South Korea’s president and foreign minister, where they are expected to discuss North Korea’s nuclear threat (Le Monde, AFP)
U.S., South Korea Begin Spring Military Exercises
The exercise, which will run through March 14, comes months after North Korea scrapped a 2018 military accord with South Korea meant to reduce tensions on the border; it features twice the number of field training drills as last year’s edition (Japan Times)
South Korea to Establish Diplomatic Relations With Cuba
Seoul will open ambassador-level relations with Havana, South Korea’s foreign ministry announced on Wednesday; South Korea’s presidential office said yesterday that the move would deal a “political and psychological blow” to North Korea, which depends on a small number of Cold War-era allies (AP)
South Korea: North Korean Hackers Breached Presidential Staffer’s Personal Email
South Korean President Yoon Sun Yeol’s office did not state what information was stolen but emphasized the overall safety of their security system (AP)
U.S. Supports Japan-North Korea Talks, Official Says
Japan’s prime minister told parliament last week that he wants to hold a summit with his North Korean counterpart; Washington hopes potential dialogue between the two countries could lead to progress on matters such as human rights and security, the U.S. special envoy on North Korean human rights issues said today (Reuters)
North Korea Develops New Controller for Multiple Rocket Launcher
According to state media, the new ballistic control system will amplify the quality of the army’s rocket launcher force (Nikkei)
Kim Jong Un Restates Threats to South Korea, No Desire for Diplomacy
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un emphasized Pyongyang’s readiness to “strike and destroy” its neighbor if provoked, exacerbating heightened tensions in the region (AP)
Reuters: UN Probes Suspected North Korean Cyberattacks That Yielded $3 Billion
UN sanctions experts are probing nearly sixty attacks on cryptocurrency-related companies that appear to have funneled money toward North Korea’s nuclear program between 2017 and 2023, according to an unpublished UN report seen by Reuters; it says that Pyongyang continues to flout UN Security Council sanctions (Reuters)
North Korea Legislature Strikes Down Laws Enabling Economic Cooperation With South Korea
Bilateral cooperation projects have been stalled for years, but the move demonstrates a further cooling of relations after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said peaceful reunification between the two countries would be impossible (Bloomberg)
Russia Likely Helping North Korea Access International Banking Networks
U.S. intelligence said Moscow released frozen North Korean assets in exchange for Pyongyang’s supply of armaments for use against Ukraine; a North Korean front company also opened an account at a Russian bank in South Ossetia, hinting at Russia’s role in helping North Korea avoid UN sanctions that isolate it from international financial networks (NYT)
North Korea Test Fires Missiles Off West Coast
The missiles fired today mark North Korea’s fourth such cruise missile launch this year and came three days after its previous launch, South Korea’s military said; Seoul did not specify how many missiles it detected (Yonhap)
North Korea Test Fires Missiles, Appears to Take Down Monument to Unification
North Korea fired several cruise missiles west toward the Yellow Sea today in its first cruise missile launch since last September, South Korea’s military said (Yonhap)
Separately, satellite images reveal that North Korea appears to have removed a large monument in Pyongyang devoted to the prospect of unification with South Korea, which North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered to be removed earlier this month (NK News)
Pyongyang Says It Tested Undersea Nuclear Weapons System
North Korea tested an underwater attack drone in response to naval exercises this week conducted by the United States, Japan, and South Korea, the North Korean military said; at a UN Security Council meeting yesterday, South Korea urged the body to “break the silence” on North Korea’s escalating missile tests, as China and Russia have blocked U.S.-led efforts to increase sanctions on North Korea (AP)
South Korea Announces Sanctions on Ships Supplying North Korea
Seoul imposed sanctions on eleven ships and five individuals it said were part of illegal efforts to fund North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs (Yonhap)
South Korean and Japanese nuclear envoys met in Seoul ahead of trilateral talks with the United States tomorrow; North Korea’s foreign minister, meanwhile, traveled to Moscow this week to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin (Yonhap)
North Korea Fires Artillery Shells Into Waters Near South Korea
More than two hundred shells landed in disputed waters near two remote South Korean islands, where residents took cover in bomb shelters, South Korean officials said (Reuters)
Seoul conducted live-fire exercises in nearby waters in response, while a South Korean military spokesperson demanded that North Korea “immediately cease” actions that are increasing tensions; Pyongyang later said the drills were its response to recent military actions by Seoul (WaPo)
Today’s artillery volley and South Korean response prompted China to call for restraint and for both sides to resume dialogue (AFP)
South Korea, U.S. Conduct Joint Combat Fighting Drills Near North Korea Border
North Korea called the weeklong exercises that wrapped up today “reckless war maneuvers” that pushed the region closer to “an inferno of nuclear war;” the drills involved large and heavy weaponry and come as Seoul and Washington have increased their joint military exercises over the past year in response to Pyongyang’s nuclear threat (Reuters)
Satellite Imagery Suggests North Korean Weapons Transfers to Russia
Satellite imagery provided by the White House shows high levels of activity at a previously dormant North Korean port near the border with Russia in recent months; the United States and South Korea say that North Korea is delivering artillery shells to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine (Bloomberg)
North Korea Launches First Long-Range Ballistic Missile Since July
The test missile was fired off of North Korea’s eastern coast this morning and landed in waters west of Japan, according to Japanese and South Korean authorities; the launch coincided with U.S.-South Korea talks on nuclear deterrence against North Korea, which Pyongyang has criticized (Bloomberg)
North Korea has also ignored U.S. calls to return to nuclear disarmament talks (VoA)