North Korean Defense Minister Kang Sun-nam and the country’s Main Missile Directorate are included in the EU sanctions list, according to a document published on Friday.
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The European Union accuses them of allegedly supporting actions against Ukraine. The document states that the minister is allegedly involved in the supply of weapons from the DPRK to the Russian Federation.
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“In his position, he controls the development of the DPRK’s illegal ballistic missile program and is directly involved in military cooperation between the DPRK and the Russian Federation, as a result of which North Korea provided ammunition to Russia,” the text notes.
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According to EU officials, “ballistic missiles that were designed, developed and produced in the DPRK were used by the Russian armed forces against Ukraine.” However, the document does not provide any evidence of Russia’s use of ammunition from the DPRK.
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Earlier, John Kirby, coordinator of strategic communications for the White House National Security Council, said that the United States, despite Moscow’s denials, believes that the Russian Federation is using missiles received from the DPRK to attack Ukraine. However, he also did not provide any evidence.
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The DPRK itself has more than once denied statements by Western media and officials that it allegedly supplied Russia with weapons. A representative of the North Korean Foreign Ministry stated that the DPRK has never concluded any arms deals with the Russian Federation, and any media report about this is “an absurd rumor.” The head of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK for US Affairs, Kwon Jong Geun, also noted that the United States “stupidly” tried to justify the supply of its weapons to Ukraine by spreading a “baseless version” about arms deals between the DPRK and the Russian Federation.
