US Raises Concerns After Russian Military Jet Spotted in North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Chinese Communist Party politburo member Li Hongzhong, and Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu attend a military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice in Pyongyang, North Korea, on July 27, 2023. (KCNA via Reuters)

The United States expressed alarm over growing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea after a Russian Air Force plane was spotted landing in North Korea earlier this month.

Flight tracking website Flightradar24 shows the Russian Air Force Ilyushin IL-62M took off from Moscow on July 31 and landed in North Korea. The plane returned to Moscow on Aug. 2, according to reports.

The aircraft remained grounded for approximately 36 hours in Pyongyang, the capital city of North Korea, according to NK News, which first reported the incident.

The flight occurred just days after Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang on July 27.

Mr. Shoigu, along with Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Li Hongzhong, were invited to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War.

Mr. Shoigu’s visit to North Korea signaled growing military relations between the two nations, and the United States expressed concern about North Korea potentially aiding Russia in its ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

“Obviously, we’ve seen close cooperation between Russia and North Korea,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a press briefing on Aug. 7.

“We have made clear our concerns about North Korea seeking to assist Russia in its aggression in Ukraine. We will continue to make those concerns clear, and we will continue to enforce all of our sanctions,” he added.

The United States has accused North Korea of providing weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine. Both countries have denied the U.S. claims.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has previously hinted that Mr. Shoigu’s visit to North Korea might be aimed at seeking military assistance for Russia.

“With regard to reports of the Russian defense minister in North Korea, I strongly doubt he’s there on holiday,” Mr. Blinken told reporters on July 29.

“We’re seeing Russia desperately looking for support, for weapons wherever it can find them, to continue to prosecute its aggression against Ukraine. And we see that in North Korea.

“We see that as well with Iran, which has provided many drones to Russia that it’s using to destroy civilian infrastructure and kill civilians in Ukraine,” he added.

Weapons-for-Food Deal

In March, the White House claimed that it obtained new information that Russia was planning to send a delegation to North Korea for talks to buy more weapons in exchange for food aid.

“As part of this proposed deal, Russia would receive over two dozen kinds of weapons and munitions from Pyongyang,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on March 30.

On Jan. 20, Mr. Kirby said evidence suggested that North Korea supplied weapons to the Russian private military firm Wagner Group, pointing to images allegedly showing Russian railcars traveling to North Korea in November 2022.

“While we assess that the amount of material delivered to Wagner has not changed battlefield dynamics in Ukraine, we do expect that it will continue to receive North Korean weapons systems,” he said.

North Korea has been facing food shortages and has been subjected to United Nations sanctions due to its missile and nuclear initiatives since 2006, which include a ban on the development of ballistic missiles.

In recent years, Russia and China have opposed U.S.-led efforts to impose more sanctions on North Korea over its pursuit of ballistic missiles, arguing existing measures should be eased for humanitarian purposes and to help entice it to negotiate.

Reuters contributed to this report.