Jang Hojin, National Security Office Chief, Holds Private Meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister... Discusses Korea-Russia Conflict (Comprehensive)

Private Meeting in Seoul on the 3rd
Yoon's Remarks Sparked Tensions Between Korea and Russia
Discussion Covered Korea-Russia and North Korea-Russia Relations and International Issues

Jang Ho-jin, Director of the National Security Office of the Presidential Office Photo by Yonhap News

Jang Ho-jin, the Director of the National Security Office, was confirmed to have held an informal meeting last weekend with Andrey Rudenko, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister in charge of Asia-Pacific affairs. Amid diplomatic tensions between South Korea and Russia over recent remarks by President Yoon Suk-yeol, it is analyzed that frank communication likely took place.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 6th, Director Jang met Deputy Minister Rudenko on the 3rd at an undisclosed location in Seoul. It is known that Jang was well acquainted with Rudenko during his tenure as Ambassador to Russia.

Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that on the 2nd, Deputy Minister Rudenko met with First Vice Minister Kim Hong-gyun and Vice Minister Jeong Byeong-won at the Ministry’s building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, to discuss bilateral issues, and immediately afterward held talks with Kim Geon, Director of the South Korea-Russia Peace Negotiation Headquarters and South Korea-Russia senior representative on North Korean nuclear issues.

The fact that the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister visited not only diplomatic officials but also Director Jang is interpreted as both sides showing a willingness to manage South Korea-Russia relations.

The meeting between Director Jang and Deputy Minister Rudenko on the 3rd came at a time when tensions escalated sharply after the South Korean government strongly protested comments made by the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson criticizing President Yoon Suk-yeol’s remarks.

The verbal dispute between the two countries began on the 31st of last month when President Yoon Suk-yeol stated that "the North Korean regime is the only irrational group in the world that has legalized the preemptive use of nuclear weapons," which was condemned by Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, as "blatantly biased and hateful nonsense."

Subsequently, on the 3rd, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly rebutted the Russian spokesperson’s remarks as "below standard, rude, ignorant, and hateful nonsense," and on the same day summoned Georgy Zinoviev, the Russian Ambassador to South Korea, to lodge a protest.

Despite this situation, Deputy Minister Rudenko’s visit to Director Jang is explained as a result reflecting both countries’ willingness to communicate. Director Jang served as the first ambassador to Russia under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, during which time Deputy Minister Rudenko was his Russian counterpart.

Andrey Rudenko, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia

Director Jang’s meeting with the lower-ranking Deputy Minister Rudenko may have been motivated by a desire to have candid discussions about South Korea-Russia relations and North Korea-Russia military cooperation with someone he knew well.

A Foreign Ministry official told reporters on the day that they were aware that the issue of Zakharova’s remarks was raised during the meeting but added, "It is difficult to disclose Russia’s specific response."

Previously, the two countries had planned for Deputy Minister Rudenko to visit South Korea at the end of September last year, but it did not materialize due to circumstances on the Russian side, making this a surprise, private visit.

At the high-level talks, the two countries discussed not only North Korea-Russia military cooperation and Korean Peninsula issues but also international matters such as the war in Ukraine.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "We discussed bilateral issues and the international situation including the war in Ukraine," and "both sides agreed that continuing communication on the North Korean nuclear issue aligns with the interests of South Korea and Russia."

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