N. Korea becoming 'more confident' due to its ties with Russia: Pentagon chief

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, April 30 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is becoming "more confident" due to its military ties with Russia, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday, voicing concerns over the "growing nexus" among the two countries, China and Iran.

The Pentagon chief made the remarks during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the 2025 defense budget request, as he addressed a question over challenges stemming from deepening cooperation among those countries.

"North Korea again, it's becoming more confident because of its affiliation with (Russian President) Putin," he said.

"So this is very concerning, something that we are going to have to watch, something that we are going to have to make sure that we have the capability and capacity to work with our allies to continue to deter and continue to promote peace and stability in each of the regions," he added.

Washington has said that amid the ongoing war of attrition in Ukraine, Russia has received munitions and ballistic missiles from North Korea and military drones from Iran, while China has provided commercial support for Russia's defense industrial base.

In response to the countries' rising cooperation, the United States has been strengthening cooperation with its traditional allies and partners, including South Korea and Japan, through bilateral, trilateral and multilateral engagements.

"The growing nexus between the PRC, Russia, the DPRK and Iran is concerning," Austin said. "This is something that we are watching very closely as we look at what Russia is doing because of the damage that Ukraine inflicted on Russia's land forces."

PRC and DPRK stand for the official names of China and North Korea, the People's Republic of China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, respectively.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Charles Brown echoed Austin's view, saying that the threats from Russia, China, the North and Iran are "interconnected."

"Tomorrow, it will be seven months I have been in the job. I've engaged about 170 times with my counterparts from around the world," he said. "What I've found is as the world's gotten more complex, the work with our allies and partners has strengthened."

sshluck@yna.co.kr
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