Blinken in Seoul for talks on North Korea-Russia ties

(Patria) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to arrive in Seoul today for talks with his South Korean counterpart, as allies step up cooperation amid growing concern over closer military ties between North Korea and Russia, Reuters reported.

The two-day visit, the first by a U.S. secretary of state in two and a half years, is part of Blinken's broader Asia trip that includes meetings with G7 counterparts and bilateral talks with Japanese officials in Tokyo, as well as a later visit to India.

The visit to Seoul comes after the United States and South Korea, together with Japan, condemned what they say is North Korea's supply of weapons and military equipment to Russia. Washington and Seoul see closer military ties between the North and Russia, which is believed to be suffering from a shortage of ammunition in its war with Ukraine, as an attempt by Pyongyang to secure strategic military capabilities.

North Korea is preparing to launch a spy satellite into orbit after failing twice this year. South Korea's spy agency said last week that North Korea is in the final stages of preparations for a launch after receiving technical assistance from Russia.

Pyongyang and Moscow have denied allegations of arms deals, while their leaders pledged closer military cooperation when they met in September in Russia's Far East.
South Korea's military said on Monday it is on alert for possible provocations by North Korea after Pyongyang designated November 18 as "missile industry day" to mark last year's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). North Korea tested the Hwasong-17 ICBM in November 2022, a weapon potentially capable of delivering a nuclear warhead anywhere within the United States.

With the help of the United States, South Korea also plans to launch its first spy satellite on November 30 aboard a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket from the U.S. military base at Vandenberg.
A U.S. official said the United States remained focused on the Indo-Pacific despite other global challenges and that Blinken's trip demonstrated such "enduring" commitment.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is also expected to visit South Korea this week on a trip that will include Indonesia and India. In Washington, U.S. and South Korean officials held talks on North Korea's illegal cyber activities, which they say fund its illicit weapons programs, South Korea's foreign ministry said. A United Nations report states

that North Korea has stepped up cryptocurrency thefts, using sophisticated techniques to steal more in 2022 than in any other year.