Both Koreas in on the action? Biden wants Xi’s help

 

In a Cold-War sounding deal, two powers are said to be supplying opposite sides of a conflict. Russia and the US, right? Nope, it is reported that both Koreas are to be sending arms to opposite sides of the Ukraine conflict.

First off, the Norks:

The North Korean government is covertly funneling artillery shells to aid Russia in its war in Ukraine using countries in the Middle East and North Africa to mask the weapons’ movement, although it was not yet clear whether those shipments were received, the White House said Wednesday.

The shipments include “thousands” of shells, John Kirby, the National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communications, told reporters. He characterized the number as “significant” but not enough to alter the war’s trajectory “in any appreciable way.”   WaPo

The Norks deny it and says we are just trying to get them in trouble with the teacher.

A North Korean defense ministry official called the allegations a rumor and said Pyongyang has “never had ‘arms dealings’ with Russia” and has “no plan to do so in the future.”

“We regard such moves of the U.S. as part of its hostile attempt to tarnish the image of the DPRK in the international arena by invoking the illegal ‘sanctions resolution’ of the (U.N. Security Council) against the DPRK,” the official said in a statement carried by state-run news agency KCNA, referring to the North by the initials of its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.   NBC News

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal broke that South Korea is in negotiations to supply 100,000 155mm howitzer rounds to Ukraine. Actually, to the US. (Wink, wink, nudge, nudge). Ukraine has transitioned over to US 155s from the Russian 152s they were using – to the tune of about 7,000 rounds a day. Russia is reported to be firing 20,000 152mm rounds daily, by the way. Ah, to be a Mideast freight forwarder about now.

“The negotiations are happening under the premise that the U.S. will be the final user,” the statement added.  Wall Street Journal

So The North is not supplying arms to Russia, and the ROKs are not supplying rounds to us which will of course not get routed to Ukraine. Kinda reminds you of the whole plausible deniability thing, doesn’t it?

And since the Koreas are a bit of a tinderbox, Biden is reportedly aiming to ask China’s Xi for some help in reining Kim Jung Il in a bit.

U.S. President Joe Biden will warn Chinese President Xi Jinping at a meeting on Monday that North Korea’s continued pursuit of weapons development will lead to an enhanced U.S. military presence in the region, the White House said.  Reuters

Sounds like a veiled threat to me, and we all know folks respond graciously to those. Maybe the administration thinks this might work better than begging the Saudis to release more oil did?

Category: Biden, China, International Affairs, Korea