President Yoon Suk Yeol and the leaders of NATO condemned the enhanced military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, which they viewed as posing a greater threat to not only South Korea, but also the international community.
Their joint concerns and protest came during Yoon’s meetings with some of the leaders of the countries participating in the 2024 NATO summit in Washington, D.C., as well as in the joint declaration announced by the NATO member states, Wednesday (local time).
Yoon, who is attending the NATO gathering as the head of Indo-Pacific Partners 4 (IP4) along with Japan, Australia and New Zealand, 커뮤니티 shared his concerns over Moscow and Pyongyang’s strengthened military and economic partnership, during a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
“Russia and North Korea recently signed a comprehensive strategic partnership and are speeding up economic ties, and these moves are causing serious concerns over security of not only East Asia but also the whole world,” Yoon said.
Yoon’s comments follow Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s June summit, during which they agreed to provide military assistance without delay to each other if one of them is attacked.
Yoon emphasized the importance of maintaining trilateral security cooperation between South Korea, Japan, and the U.S., as well as with NATO countries.
“I hope South Korea and Japan, in close cooperation with NATO member countries, will strengthen our unified response, demonstrating that the security of the North Atlantic and Northeast Asia is inseparable,” Yoon said.
“The participation of South Korea and Japan in the NATO summit, as part of the IP4, for three consecutive years carries significant strategic implications amid the increasingly severe international security situation,” Yoon noted.
Kishida also expressed grave concerns over the growing Russia-North Korea military cooperation that is posing threats to the regional security, according to the presidential office.
Yoon and Kishida agreed to jointly address any potential challenges through close coordination with the international community, the office said.