North Korea and other third countries have "perpetuated" the Russia-Ukraine war and "bear responsibility," a State Department spokesperson said Sunday, hours after Pyongyang acknowledged its troop deployment to Russia for the first time.
The spokesperson also repeated calls for Pyongyang to stop its troop deployment and Russia to end any support to the North.
"Third countries, like the DPRK, that have perpetuated the Russia-Ukraine war, bear responsibility," the spokesperson said in response to a question from Yonhap News Agency. DPRK is short for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"We continue to be concerned by the DPRK's direct involvement in the war. The DPRK's military deployment to Russia and any support provided by the Russian Federation to the DPRK in return must end," the official added.
The spokesperson also pointed out that Russia's training of North Korean soldiers violates multiple UN Security Council resolutions, which collectively impose a broad prohibition on providing or receiving military training or assistance to or from the DPRK. (Yonhap)
