JAKARTA, Indonesia: South Korea and Southeast Asian nations must “join forces” to respond to North Korea’s nuclear threats, President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Tuesday, as Washington warned Pyongyang’s leader that he was about to make a rare trip to Russia for arms talks.
Yoon will meet his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Wednesday after their leaders’ summit, before attending an 18-nation East Asian summit the following day, which will also include Russia.
Yoon claimed that North Korea’s missile tests “pose a direct and existential threat” to not only South Korea but also to its partners in Southeast Asia in an interview with the Indonesian newspaper Kompas.
“In times like these, the Republic of Korea and ASEAN must join forces to respond decisively and work closely together to denuclearize North Korea,” Yoon said.
“ASEAN-ROK solidarity and cooperation must be further strengthened so that the rules-based international order can take firm root in the Indo-Pacific region.”
ASEAN members and South Korea are expected to adopt a joint declaration on regional cooperation, which Yoon said will underscore the leaders’ pursuit of a “free, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific.”
The United States said on Monday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is expecting a rare trip to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin to discuss arms deals.
Kim is said to be seeking advanced technology for satellites and nuclear-powered submarines, as well as food aid for his impoverished nation, while the US warned Moscow last week that it was seeking ammunition and supplies for its war effort in Ukraine.
Pyongyang condemned Washington, Seoul and Tokyo in July when it launched an intercontinental ballistic missile as top diplomats met on the sidelines of an ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting in Jakarta.
In a draft communique from the ASEAN summit seen by the news agency, the bloc noted that North Korea’s recent increase in intercontinental ballistic missiles was a “disturbing development” that threatened regional peace.
The draft communiqué emphasized the importance of “peaceful dialogue” between all parties and reiterated the bloc’s readiness to play a “constructive role” in achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will represent Moscow at the East Asian summit.
