Yoon Targets China and Russia: "North Korean Nuclear Threat Is an Existential Danger Capable of Striking All EAS Participating Countries" (Comprehensive)

Yoon Attends East Asia Summit
Mentions International Issues Including North Korea, Ukraine, South China Sea, Myanmar
Urges Participation in North Korea Sanctions and Human Rights Issues

President Yoon Suk-yeol attended the East Asia Summit (EAS) on the 7th and pointed out North Korea's advancement of nuclear and missile capabilities as "an existential threat capable of targeting and striking all countries attending today's meeting."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon stated at the EAS held at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) in Indonesia that North Korea's nuclear and missile development is a serious violation of UN Security Council resolutions and a direct challenge to world peace, according to the presidential office. Established in 2005, the EAS is a separate forum that expands the 'ASEAN+3 (South Korea, Japan, China)' framework, where heads of state freely express their views on strategic and political issues in the region. The EAS member countries include the 10 ASEAN nations, South Korea, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, India, the United States, and Russia.

President Yoon emphasized, "North Korea is under the strictest and most comprehensive sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council, and all UN member states must comply with these sanction resolutions," adding, "The responsibility of the Security Council permanent members, who adopted such resolutions, is even heavier." The permanent members of the Security Council are the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, and France.

This statement directly targets China and Russia, who are expected to veto additional sanctions against North Korea amid speculation that North Korean Workers' Party General Secretary Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet next week for a North Korea-Russia summit to discuss arms deals. It is interpreted as a continuous pressure message toward Russia following the Korea-ASEAN Summit and the ASEAN+3 (South Korea, Japan, China) meetings held the previous day. At this meeting, Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attended from China and Russia, respectively.

He also called for cooperation, stating, "We must actively block North Korea's illegal activities such as virtual asset theft, overseas labor dispatch, and maritime transshipment, which are major funding sources for nuclear and missile development." Furthermore, he stressed, "We must not turn a blind eye to the horrific human rights situation of the people mobilized as a means for the North Korean dictatorship to maintain power," emphasizing that "North Korea's WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) issue is essentially a human rights issue."

At this event, President Yoon explained South Korea's stance on regional and international issues, including the North Korean problem, the Ukraine war, South China Sea conflicts, and the violence in Myanmar.

Regarding the South China Sea conflict, where China and ASEAN countries are at odds, President Yoon reiterated the position that "attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force are unacceptable." He pledged to expand maritime security cooperation with ASEAN while protecting freedom of navigation and overflight under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, stating, "A rules-based maritime order must be established in the South China Sea, a key maritime route in the region." He also expressed hope that the ongoing negotiations on the South China Sea Code of Conduct will be established respecting international law principles and guaranteeing the legitimate rights of all countries. Terms such as 'unilateral change by force' and 'freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea' are expressions used by the United States to criticize China on this issue, indicating that these remarks were directed at China.

Regarding Russia, which initiated the war in Ukraine, he expressed the position that its actions violate the UN Charter and international law. President Yoon also introduced the 'Ukraine Peace Solidarity Initiative' he announced during his visit to Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, on the occasion of attending the NATO summit in July.

On the ongoing violence following the Myanmar military coup, he expressed support for ASEAN's resolution through inclusive dialogue. President Yoon emphasized, "The ongoing violence and resulting humanitarian crisis in Myanmar hinder ASEAN's unity and development," and added, "I hope the Myanmar people's aspirations for freedom and democracy will be realized soon."

Additionally, President Yoon referred to the Korea-US-Japan cooperation agreed upon at the Korea-US-Japan summit held last month at Camp David in the United States, stating, "The driving force that unites the three countries is a shared responsibility for freedom, peace, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region." Based on this, he expressed his intention to contribute to establishing a rules-based international order founded on universal values and to expand regional contributions for inclusive and sustainable growth.

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