(LEAD) N. Korea's military denies U.S. accusation it supplied weapons to Russia

(ATTN: RECASTS headline; UPDATES with more info throughout; ADDS photo)
By Yi Wonju

SEOUL, Nov. 8 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's military said Tuesday it has never exported weapons or ammunition to Russia and has no plans to do so, accusing the United States of spreading "groundless" rumors aimed at tarnishing its image.

In a statement issued by the vice director of the Military Foreign Affairs of the Ministry of National Defence the previous day, Pyongyang warned Washington against "persistently" coming up with such a "plot-breeding story."

"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 (UNSC) against the DPRK," he said, referring to the North by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"We once again make clear that we have never had 'arms dealings' with Russia and that we have no plan to do so in the future," he added in the English-language statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). It did not mention the name of the official.

Earlier, U.S. intelligence said Russia may be in the process of purchasing millions of rockets and artillery shells from North Korea amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, which would violate multiple UNSC resolutions on Pyongyang.

The North immediately denied such an arms deal in a statement released by its vice director general of the General Bureau of Equipment in September.

Last week, a U.S. National Security Council spokesman raised the accusation again, saying, "Information indicates that the DPRK is covertly supplying Russia's war in Ukraine with a significant number of artillery shells."

julesyi@yna.co.kr
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