North Korea Slams UN Monitoring Group Over Russia Ties, Calls Military Pact Legitimate

North Korea has strongly condemned a recent report by a multilateral UN sanctions monitoring group, labeling it as politically motivated and biased. The report accused Pyongyang of supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine by supplying over 20,000 containers of munitions and enabling enhanced missile strikes on critical Ukrainian infrastructure.

In a statement published by state-run KCNA on Monday, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry called its cooperation with Moscow a “legitimate exercise of sovereign rights,” grounded in a mutual defense treaty signed by both nations last year. The ministry criticized the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), composed of 11 UN member states, for acting under “Western geopolitical interests” and accused it of unlawfully interfering with sovereign state affairs.

The MSMT was formed in October 2023 to monitor North Korea’s sanctions compliance after a prior UN panel was disbanded due to vetoes by Russia and China. The group claims that in exchange for arms, Russia has helped North Korea improve missile technology by sharing performance data.

North Korea and Russia formally confirmed their deepening military alliance in April 2025, including reports that North Korean troops had been deployed to support Russian operations in Ukraine.

In response, Pyongyang issued a “stern warning” against what it described as “provocative acts of the West,” denouncing attempts to impose “unilateral and high-handed political and legal standards.” North Korea maintains that its actions are consistent with its strategic defense commitments under the treaty and rejects the monitoring group’s legitimacy.

This latest development underscores rising global tensions and the growing partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang, as both countries face increased scrutiny and isolation from the West.