South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol warned of “illegal and unjust” military cooperation between North Korea and Russia must be met with a unified international response, in remarks to media ahead of this week’s United Nations General Assembly meeting.
(Bloomberg) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol warned of “illegal and unjust” military cooperation between North Korea and Russia must be met with a unified international response, in remarks to media ahead of this week’s United Nations General Assembly meeting.
“Military cooperation between North Korea and Russia is illegal and unjust as it contravenes UN Security Council resolutions and various other international sanctions,” Yoon told the Associated Press in written responses before his departure to the annual gathering in New York.
Yoon told the news agency that he plans to raise the Russia-North Korea issue at the UN meeting this week. His comments come after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Russia, their first summit in four years.
The US has accused Kim of providing arms and ammunition to aid Putin’s war in Ukraine. Moscow and Pyongyang have denied the accusations.
Kim also took an extensive tour of military facilities near Vladivostok and met with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. The Kremlin has said there were no military agreements signed during Kim’s visit. Putin also said Russia would not violate restrictions on North Korea.
In his comments to the AP, South Korea’s Yoon warned against potential nuclear threats posed by North Korea. He said Seoul and Washington have “reaffirmed that any nuclear attack by North Korea will be met with a swift, overwhelming and decisive response that will bring about the end of the regime.”
During the summit, Putin accepted an invitation from Kim to visit North Korea, the official Korean Central News Agency reported earlier. If he does visit, it would be the first time he has met Kim in North Korea.
Kim left Russia on Sunday afternoon. His bulletproof train departed from the railway station in Artyom, a small city near Vladivostok, according to RIA Novosti. The North Korean leader stayed in Russia for six days, his longest overseas trip since assuming the role.
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