Korea-US-Japan Condemn Russia-North Korea Military Cooperation in the Strongest Terms

Joint Statement Issued in the Names of the Three Countries' North Korea Nuclear Representatives

The representatives on North Korea's nuclear issue from South Korea, the United States, and Japan have strongly condemned the cooperation between North Korea and Russia, which recently signed a treaty equivalent to a military alliance.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 24th, Cho Gurae, Director of the Foreign Strategy and Intelligence Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jung Park, Senior U.S. State Department Official for North Korea, and Namazu Hiroyuki, Director of the Asia-Pacific Bureau at Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, issued a joint statement on the day. This was the result of a recent discussion via teleconference regarding the latest North Korea-Russia developments.

In January this year, Kim Gun, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Office for Peace and Security on the Korean Peninsula, Jeong Park, Senior U.S. State Department Official for North Korea, and Namazu Hiroyuki, Director of the Asia-Pacific Bureau of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, held a trilateral meeting on North Korea's nuclear issue at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

In the joint statement, they said, "South Korea, the United States, and Japan strongly condemn in the strongest terms the deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, including the continuous transfer of weapons from North Korea to Russia," adding, "These weapons transfers prolong the suffering of the Ukrainian people, violate multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, and threaten stability in Northeast Asia and Europe."

They particularly emphasized the treaty on a 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership' signed during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Pyongyang on the 19th, stating, "It should be a matter of grave concern to all who seek to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, uphold the international non-proliferation regime, and support the Ukrainian people in defending their freedom and independence against Russia's brutal aggression."

They also reaffirmed their intention to further strengthen diplomatic and security cooperation to respond to North Korea's threats to regional and global security and to prevent the situation from worsening, stating, "The United States' commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea and Japan is ironclad. South Korea, the United States, and Japan also reaffirm that the door to dialogue remains open and urge North Korea to halt further provocations and return to negotiations."

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