Russia to share advanced satellite technology with North Korea, Blinken warns

Such technology would allow North Korea to identify targets and aim strikes at adversaries across the world, including the U.S. As of last year, North Korea was estimated to have an arsenal of 50 nuclear weapons. 

Supplying North Korea with satellite technology would come after North Korea supplied Russia with troops and arms to fight in its war on Ukraine. 

Russia "may be close" to accepting North Korea's nuclear weapons program, reversing decades of commitment to denuclearizing the DPRK. 

Russia helped North Korea launch its first successful satellite in 2023. A Russian rocket launched Iranian satellites into orbit in November, ratcheting up the 21st century space race between the U.S. and its foes. 

Last year, Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, chair of the House Intelligence Committee, issued an ominous warning calling on the Biden administration to declassify information that was later revealed to be about Russia's anti-satellite capabilities. 

In May, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy John Plumb warned that Russia was developing an "indiscriminate" nuclear weapon designed for space, highlighting its potential impacts on communications, commerce and national security.

In a year-end political conference, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to implement his "toughest" anti-U.S. policy and condemned the Biden administration for strengthening ties with South Korea and Japan, describing the alliance as a "nuclear military bloc for aggression."

It is also unclear if Trump would put the same emphasis on bolstering U.S. alliances in Asia that the Biden administration did. In the past, he has complained about the cost of keeping 28,000 U.S. troops in South Korea to deter threats from the north and pushed for Seoul to increase its own defense contributions. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.