SEOUL: South Korea has summoned the Russian ambassador to protest the country’s new defense agreement with North Korea on Friday, as border tensions continued to increase with vague threats and brief, seemingly accidental incursions by North Korean forces.
South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong Kyun called for Russia to immediately stop its alleged military cooperation with North Korea.
Earlier, the United States has expressed deep concern over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threat to provide Pyongyang with arms, warning such a step would “destabilize” the Korean peninsula.
President Putin, during a rare trip to North Korea, inked a mutual defense agreement on Wednesday with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who promised his country’s complete “support” for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking on Thursday in Vietnam, the Russian President said Moscow would not rule out sending arms to North Korea, calling it repercussions for the West supplying Kyiv. The threat “is incredibly concerning,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told media persons.
“It would destabilize the Korean peninsula, possibly, depending on the type of arms, and might violate UNSC resolutions that Moscow itself has supported,” Miller stated.
The US and its allies have previously alleged North Korea of supplying Russia with missiles and artillery that it has used to attack Ukraine. President Putin warned South Korea on Thursday not to supply Kyiv with arms, following South Korea said it was reassessing its current ban.
South Korea has a longstanding policy that bars it from selling arms into active conflict zones, which it has stuck to despite calls from the USA and Ukraine to reconsider. He further said that they welcome any support and aid for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression,”.
