South Korea's defense minister has condemned Russia's use of weapons provided by North Korea in its war on Ukraine.
Defense Minister Shin Won-sik addressed the Asian security forum, the Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore on Saturday. He said there is increasing evidence that weapons used by Russia in Ukraine have been illegally imported from North Korea. He called the situation a betrayal of the international community.
He also said Russia, despite being a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, was receiving weapons from a regime that violates numerous UNSC resolutions that Moscow itself has led.
Shin strongly condemned Moscow, saying Russia using North Korean weapons against Ukraine is "an unimaginable extreme self-contradiction and betrayal against the international community."
Shin said North Korea, in return for the weapons, was getting Russian money and technology to expand its military power, which he says poses a serious threat to the peace of the international community.
He called for an immediate halt to the trade.
Both Russia and North Korea have denied such accusations, but relevant countries are stepping up alerts as the North is believed to be providing Moscow with ammunition and ballistic missiles.