SEOUL, South Korea — On Wednesday, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell expressed concern regarding North Korea’s expanding nuclear and missile threats, alongside its growing military assistance to Russia amidst the conflict in Ukraine. However, he refrained from confirming allegations from Ukraine suggesting that North Korea was dispatching troops to support Russia.

Campbell made these remarks after discussions with officials from South Korea and Japan aimed at revitalizing an international pressure campaign against North Korea, which has weakened in recent years due to increasing divides within the U.N. Security Council.

Earlier in the day, the United States, South Korea, and Japan unveiled plans in collaboration with eight other Western nations to establish a new multinational team dedicated to monitoring the enforcement of sanctions against North Korea.

In March, Russia vetoed a U.N. resolution, effectively halting monitoring by U.N. experts of the Security Council sanctions against North Korea. This action led to accusations from Western nations that Moscow was attempting to protect its arms dealings with North Korea as it seeks to support its activities in Ukraine.

Campbell indicated that there are indications of an uptick in North Korean support for materials such as artillery and missiles being directed toward Russia’s military endeavors in Ukraine, which he stated was contributing to further instability in Europe. He noted that the U.S. is still assessing reports that North Korea might also be sending personnel.

“We are alarmed by these developments… we have agreed to keep a close watch on the situation,” Campbell remarked concerning the assertions made by Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed that North Korea is providing military personnel to assist Russia without elaborating on specific details. Earlier reports from Ukrainian media indicated that six North Korean individuals were among the casualties from a Ukrainian missile strike on October 3.

Additionally, North Korea has ramped up its provocative rhetoric toward South Korea, accusing it of sending drones to disseminate anti-North Korean propaganda over Pyongyang. North Korea has threatened retaliation if such actions continue. Recently, the country detonated sections of unused road and rail lines that once connected it to South Korea, signaling its escalating frustration with the South’s conservative administration.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have significantly escalated since 2022, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un taking advantage of the situation created by Russia’s involvement in Ukraine to amplify his own weapons testing and threats. In response, the U.S., South Korea, and Japan have enhanced their joint military exercises and refined their nuclear deterrence strategies centered around strategic U.S. resources.

Following discussions with Campbell and Japan’s Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano, South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong Kyun condemned North Korea’s “deliberate moves to escalate tensions.”

“We have committed to maintaining a robust South Korea-U.S. joint posture in order to robustly counter North Korea’s provocations and bolster security collaboration through close coordination among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan,” Kim emphasized.