NK, Russia defense cooperation 'not good' for Korean Peninsula: NSC official

National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby speaks during a daily press briefing at the White House in Washington in this Jan. 20 screen capture. Yonhap

Defense cooperation between North Korea and Russia is not good for the Korean Peninsula, a White House National Security Council (NSC) official noted Friday, pointing to the possible transfer of Russian military capabilities to the recalcitrant North.

John Kirby, NSC coordinator for strategic communications, also reiterated that Pyongyang has provided artillery ammunition to Russia for use in the latter's ongoing aggression against Ukraine.

"I was up here not long ago talking about the burgeoning defense relationship between Iran and Russia, which is not only not good for the people of Ukraine. It's not good for the people in the Middle East because it will flow both ways and Russian capabilities could very well end up in Iranian hands," Kirby told a press briefing at the White House.

"And I would say the same about North Korea," he added.

The NSC official earlier provided satellite imagery of Russian railcars traveling between Russia and North Korea in November to deliver North Korean ammunition to a Russian para-military organization, the Wagner Group, for use in Ukraine.

"We know that they (North Koreans) are providing ammunition to Russia artillery, ammunition specifically," said Kirby.

"And again, that's not only not good for the people of Ukraine, it's not good for the Korean Peninsula and the region there that Russia, North Korea could be, again, developing a deeper defense relationship," he added.

Russia, along with China, successfully thwarted 10 United Nations Security Council meetings held last year to specifically discuss North Korea issues, frustrating efforts by the 13 other members of the Security Council to hold Pyongyang to account for an unprecedented number of ballistic missile tests it conducted, each in violation of multiple Security Council resolutions.

North Korea fired 69 ballistic missiles in 2022, marking a new annual record for ballistic missile tests, which previously was at 25. (Yonhap)