North Korea fires ballistic missile amid more warnings of Russian cooperation

By Global Watch and AFP | 2025-01-06

North Korea on January 6 fired a ballistic missile that landed in the waters between Japan and South Korea, as more warnings were issued about increased cooperation between Pyongyang and Russia on advanced space technology.

The missile flew about 1,100km, the South Korean military said.

"Today's launch is just a reminder to all of us of how important our collaborative work is," said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was in talks in Seoul when North Korea fired the ballistic missile.

The United States, Japan and South Korea have increased three-way exercises and intelligence sharing on North Korea.

North Korea "is already receiving Russian military equipment and training. Now we have reason to believe that Moscow intends to share advanced space and satellite technology with Pyongyang," Blinken said at a news conference with South Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yul.

Blinken also renewed concern that Russia, a veto-wielding United Nations Security Council member, would formally accept North Korea as a nuclear state, which would be a major blow to global consensus that Pyongyang must end its program.

In Tokyo, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba voiced alarm that North Korea's "technology has been improving."

International condemnation

The nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan held a phone call January 6 to condemn the launch, the news agency Yonhap said.

North Korea conducted an intercontinental ballistic missile test on October 31, and on November 5, it fired at least seven short-range ballistic missiles off the eastern coast of the peninsula.

Such missiles have a minimum range of 5,500km and are primarily designed to deliver nuclear warheads.

In December, 10 countries and the European Union (EU) expressed increasing concern that Russia may be providing North Korea with assistance in developing weapons of mass destruction.

The foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States and the high representative of the European Union signed a statement on December 16, calling North Korea's growing involvement in Russia's war in Ukraine a "dangerous expansion."

They also said they were "deeply concerned about any political, military or economic support that Russia may be providing to the DPRK's illegal weapons programs, including weapons of mass destruction," using an acronym for North Korea.