Presidential Office Warns on Possible North Korea-Russia Talks: "ROK-US Silently Watching"

Russia, UN Security Council Member & North Korea, Sanctioned Party
Irony of Cooperation Between the Two Countries

The Presidential Office on the 6th issued a warning regarding speculations that Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, will visit Russia next week to hold a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and discuss arms deals. It stated, "Including the United States, South Korea has been proactively and quietly monitoring this issue for a long time." This is interpreted as a sign that if North Korea joins hands with Russia to escalate nuclear and missile provocations, South Korea and the United States will respond jointly based on a strengthened ROK-US alliance, including the nuclear group.

A senior official from the Presidential Office made this remark when asked by reporters at a press room set up in a hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia, in the afternoon about how much the South Korean government is aware of the North Korea-Russia summit movements.

President Yoon also stated at the Korea-ASEAN Summit and the ASEAN+3 (Korea-China-Japan) Summit on the same day, "North Korea's nuclear and missile threats are a serious threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region, as well as a direct challenge to the international non-proliferation regime," urging that "military cooperation attempts with North Korea, which undermine international peace, must be immediately halted."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The official further criticized, saying, "This is a security threat to the Republic of Korea and an act that blatantly violates all international security norms, treaties, and agreements at once," adding, "We are closely observing that North Korea is negotiating with Russia regarding war materials, offensive weapons, and military technology."

He particularly noted, "If the leaders of these two countries meet, one is the most influential country with veto power over world peace and security, and the other is a party to about ten harsh UN Security Council resolutions that have been strictly enforced over the past 20 years," calling their cooperation "ironic." This was a criticism of the military cooperation between Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and North Korea, which is under strong sanctions due to nuclear and missile provocations.

Regarding reports of possible North Korea-US contacts, the official said, "Even countries with uncomfortable relations usually maintain necessary channels in some form," and dismissed the idea that "the US is engaging in talks with North Korea to dissuade or influence North Korea's visit to Russia."

Kim Tae-hyo, First Deputy Director of the National Security Office, stated at a briefing that "When a major member of the UN Security Council cooperates militarily or trades weapons with a target that the UN sanctions most strictly, it is not only a direct challenge and threat to global peace but also a direct threat to the security of the Republic of Korea, which we take very seriously and view with utmost gravity." He also added, "We plan to actively urge participation in blocking virtual asset theft and the dispatch of workers, which are major funding sources for North Korea's nuclear and missile development."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.