South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has labeled the military cooperation between North Korea and Russia as “illegal and wrong.” Yoon is thus calling for a joint international response in the media, leading up to the United Nations General Assembly this week. Meanwhile South Korea is one of the major supplier of weapon for Ukraine, which makes the situation slightly more difficult.
Yoon also believes that the cooperation between Russia and North Korea violates UN Security Council resolutions, as well as several other international sanctions. Therefore, he intends to raise questions about the issue during the UN General Assembly meeting. Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited Russian President Vladimir Putin, marking their first meeting in four years.
The United States has accused the North Korean dictator of supplying weapons and ammunition to support Putin’s war in Ukraine, although both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied these allegations.
During his visit to Russia, Kim Jong-un toured military factories near Vladivostok and met with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. The Kremlin subsequently stated that no military agreements were reached during Kim’s visit. Putin also mentioned that there would be no violations of restrictions regarding North Korea.
For Yoon, Kim Jong-un’s visit to Russia symbolizes an increasing nuclear threat from North Korea.
Seoul and Washington have already agreed that any form of North Korean nuclear attack will be met with a swift and heavy counterattack, which will bring an end to the regime of Kim Jong-un.
Putin is also planning to visit North Korea, as reported earlier by the North Korean state broadcaster Korean Central News Agency. It would be the first time the Russian president visits the North Korean leader in North Korea.