In a recent defense deal signed in Pyongyang, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged mutual military assistance, intensifying tensions between North and South Korea. The agreement stated that both countries would provide immediate support by all means available if either nation were to come under attack.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov defended the treaty, asserting that only those with aggressive intentions towards either Russia or North Korea should object to it. However, South Korea, the United States, and Japan issued a joint statement expressing grave concern over the deal, emphasizing the importance of maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

As a response to the defense deal, South Korea summoned Moscow's envoy and officially protested against the agreement. First Vice Minister Kim Hong-kyun urged Russia to immediately cease military cooperation with North Korea, warning that their support for Pyongyang's United Nations Security Council (UNSC)-sanctioned weapons programs would strain ties between Russia and South Korea.

It is worth mentioning that Russia, as one of the five permanent members of the UNSC, previously exercised its veto power in March to prevent the extension of a U.N. committee's mandate overseeing compliance with sanctions imposed on North Korea's nuclear weapons program. This action has raised suspicions among the United States, South Korea, and others, who believe that Russia may have supplied North Korea with arms and technology, replenishing their depleted stockpiles from the conflict in Ukraine.

Satellite imagery has captured Russian ships loading cargo at North Korean ports, leading South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik to estimate that approximately 10,000 shipping containers, equivalent to nearly 5 million artillery shells, have been transferred to Russia. These actions have further fueled concerns that Russia has provided key military and technological support to North Korea's military and space programs.

China, another major player in the region, is likely to approach this situation cautiously. While China aims to weaken U.S. alliances with Japan and South Korea, it is expected that they will want to ensure that Russia's relations with North Korea do not escalate beyond a certain point, according to Edward Howell, a Korea Foundation fellow at the think tank Chatham House and lecturer at the University of Oxford. Howell points out that China prefers the current state of affairs on the Korean Peninsula, fearing a potential influx of North Korean refugees into its territory.

When approached for comment, the Russian and Chinese foreign ministries, as well as the North Korean embassy in China, did not immediately respond to Newsweek's inquiry.

The defense deal signed between Russia and North Korea has further exacerbated the already tense situation between the two Koreas, with South Korea, the United States, and Japan expressing deep concern over its implications. As the situation evolves, the international community will closely monitor the actions and responses of Russia, North Korea, and neighboring countries to safeguard peace and stability in the region.