North Korea dismisses claims of weapons shipments to Russia
North Korea has strongly rejected the US claim that Pyongyang is supplying Russia with artillery ammunition to be used in the Ukraine war.
MEHR: North Korea has strongly rejected the US claim that Pyongyang is supplying Russia with artillery ammunition to be used in the Ukraine war.
"Recently, the US is persistently spreading a groundless 'rumor of arms dealings' between the DPRK (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea) and Russia," North Korea's vice director of military foreign affairs of the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement on Tuesday.
The statement that was being carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), said Pyongyang considered such rumors to be part of the US "hostile attempt to tarnish the image of the DPRK in the international arena."
"We once again make clear that we have never had 'arms dealings' with Russia and that we have no plan to do so in the future," the statement concluded.
Tuesday’s statement comes after White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby claimed last week that the US had information indicating North Korea was supplying Russia with a “significant” number of artillery shells.
He claimed North Korea was attempting to obscure the shipments by funnelling them through countries in the Middle East and North Africa, and that Washington was monitoring to see whether the shipments were received.
