North Korea denies supplying arms to Russia

STORY: On Friday, North Korea's foreign ministry denied a media report that Pyongyang had supplied munitions to Russia.

That was first reported in Japan’s Tokyo Shimbun newspaper.

It had said that North Korea had shipped munitions to Russia via train through their shared border last month, including artillery shells and that more were expected in the weeks to come.

The White House said on Thursday a private Russian military company, the Wagner Group, took delivery of an arms shipment from North Korea to help bolster Russian forces in Ukraine.

The UK also said it had come to the same conclusion – and condemned the move.

But Wagner's head, Yevgeny Prigozhin, dismissed the talk as "gossip and speculation".

And North Korea's foreign ministry spokesperson said the report was “groundless,” that quote:

"The Japanese media's false report that our country offered munitions to Russia is the most absurd red herring.”

The statement did not make any mention of Wagner.

And the Russian mission to the United Nations in New York did not respond to a request for comment.

South Korea's foreign ministry said they have been monitoring North Korea's activities amid concerns over possible arms transactions with Russia.

The back-and-forth comes after a year in which North Korea has tested an unprecedented number of missiles, including an intercontinental ballistic missile designed to reach the U.S. mainland.