Yoon, Kishida voice concerns over N. Korea-Russia military ties at NATO summit

By Park Sae-jin Posted : July 11, 2024, 14:47 Updated : July 11, 2024, 15:07
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (left) shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at a meeting held on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington on July 10, 2024. Yonhap
SEOUL, July 11 (AJU PRESS) - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington on Wednesday (local time) to discuss North Korea's growing military ties with Russia.

Korea was invited to the summit as one of four Indo Pacific partners, dubbed IP4, along with Australia, Japan and New Zealand.

Yoon's meeting with Kishida came about a month after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Pyongyang, where he met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The two isolated countries signed a military pact, allowing immediate military assistance if either side is attacked. Reports indicate that North Korea has supplied millions of artillery shells to Russia to support its war in Ukraine, in exchange for technology transfers, food and energy resources like fuel.

During his talks with Kishida which lasted about 35 minutes, Yoon expressed concerns about the North's deepening military cooperation with Russia. "The recent move by Russia and North Korea..... are causing serious security concerns not only in East Asia but also globally," Yoon said.

Yoon highlighted the importance of the trilateral security cooperation between South Korea, Japan and the U.S., reminiscent of last summer's summit at the U.S. presidential retreat Camp David.

Kishida emphasized inseparable nature of security in both the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions. He expressed his commitment to discussing various international issues, including the current security situation involving North Korea.

NATO also adopted a joint declaration condemning North Korea and Iran for providing direct military support to Russia, thereby prolonging the conflict in Ukraine. The declaration stressed that such assistance "seriously impacts Euro-Atlantic security and undermines the global non-proliferation regime."

It added, "We strongly condemn [North Korea's] exports of artillery shells and ballistic missiles, which are in violation of numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions, and note with great concern the deepening ties" between North Korea and Russia.
Park Sae-jin Reporter
Park Sae-jin

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