Ten countries, including South Korea and the EU, "condemn military cooperation between North Korea and Russia...Economic sanctions continue"

Ten countries, including South Korea, the United States and the European Union, issued a joint statement condemning North Korea's military cooperation with Russia.

In a joint statement released on the 16th local time, the U.S. State Department said it condemns the growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, including the dispatch of North Korean troops to Russia, in the strongest terms.

The joint statement also noted that direct North Korea's support for Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine means a dangerous escalation of the war and has significant consequences for European and Indo-Pacific security.

At the same time, he stressed that North Korea's export of ballistic missiles and shells to Russia and Russia's training of North Korean soldiers, including weapons, are in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

He then said he was concerned about Russia's possible further aggravation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula by providing political, military and economic support to North Korea's illegal weapons programs, including weapons of mass destruction and means of delivery.

It also reaffirmed its unwavering support for Ukraine, adding that it would continue to act, including imposing economic sanctions, to counter the risks posed by the partnership between North Korea and Russia.

In addition to the United States, South Korea and the EU, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Australia, New Zealand and Canada participated in the joint statement.