Page 39 - Trilateral Korea Japan U.S. Cooperation

• Strategic linkage between Taiwan and the Korean Peninsula:
Strategic simultaneity is not only a concern on a global
scale. If crises simultaneously occur in Taiwan and the
Korean Peninsula, U.S. military assets must be split and
the efforts of allies like South Korea and Japan will also be
divided. Recently, North Korea emphasized that the Taiwan
issue is not unrelated to the Korean Peninsula issue, raising
the level of criticism against U.S. intervention in Taiwan.
North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, “It is a
well-known fact that U.S. military forces stationed in South
Korea and military bases are being used to pressure China,
and the massive military forces of the U.S. and its followers
gathering around Taiwan could be deployed at any time for
19
military operations targeting us.” This clearly demonstrates
North Korea-China integration, implicitly arguing for the
20
legitimacy of North Korea’s nuclear development.

Thus, North Korea and China’s strategic cooperation is progressing
in various aspects, including historical, diplomatic, political, strategic,
21
and military dimensions. For now, China is continuing low-level
strategic cooperation to prepare for long-term competition with the
United States, while North Korea is seeking to overcome domestic and
international difficulties. The focus of our interest is whether North

19 “N Korea Slams U.S. for Supporting Taiwan in Nod to Ally China,” Military News (October 23, 2023), https://
www.military.com/daily-news/2021/10/23/n-korea-slams-us-supporting-taiwan-nod-ally-china.html.
20 Yongjae Lee, “The U.S. Arms Sales to Taiwan and China’s Cooperation in the North Korea Nuclear Crisis,”
Korea Observer, Vol.53, No.3 (Autumn 2022).
21 Ioan Tuleasca, “Why is China Accommodating a Nuclear North Korea? The Five Fundamental Reasons
Underpinning a Political Masterpiece,” Journal of Military and Strategic Studies, Vol.21, No.4 (2022).

38 Section I : North Korea-China Relations: How and Why Does Beijing Protect and Empower Pyongyang?