Russia may share satellite technology with North Korea to replace troops to fight in Ukraine, says Antony Blinken.

• North Korea may acquire Russian satellite technology, the US Secretary of State has warned.

• Technology will be exchanged for sending troops to fight against Ukraine, said Antony Blinken on Monday.

• The US and its allies have accused Russia and North Korea of ​​trading weapons and military technology.

Russia may share satellite technology with North Korea to track the troops it has sent to fight in Ukraine, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned.

Blinken said the US has reason to believe “Moscow intends to share high-altitude and satellite technology with Pyongyang,” during a press conference in Seoul on Monday.

North Korea is “already receiving Russian military equipment and training,” he added.

If confirmed, it would add to Russia's reported ongoing efforts to help North Korea develop its satellite launch program.

Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, has repeatedly tried and failed to launch satellites into space. The country said it had successfully launched a military spy satellite in November 2023. The latest failure was when the rocket exploded on the first stage of flight in May last year.

Meanwhile, a South Korean news agency Everywhere it was reported, citing an unnamed senior defense official, that a “large number” of Russian experts entered North Korea to guide the country's program before the failed launch.

In September 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin promised Russia to help North Korea build satellites.

Having a satellite network would allow North Korea to identify targets to strike with its missiles and strengthen its ability to launch a pre-emptive strike against the US or its allies, giving them only minutes to respond.

Russia's relationship with North Korea came under scrutiny last year after the two countries signed a cooperation agreement in June, requiring the two countries to defend each other in the event of aggression.

The US and its allies have previously accused Moscow of sending raw materials, food, and technology to Pyongyang. in exchange for the shipment of ammunition and missiles that Ukraine reported seeing it on the battlefield.

North Korea has it too he sent thousands of troops to help Russia in the fight against Ukraine, said South Korean, Ukrainian and US officials.

Blinken suggested that Russia-North Korea relations could deepen as Putin may be “closer” to formally accepting North Korea's status as a nuclear power.

He also described North Korea's export of weapons, ammunition and soldiers as one of the “main ongoing drivers” that aided Russia's war with Ukraine.

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