SEOUL - South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol will push for a stronger response to North Korea’s missile and nuclear programmes at summit talks this week, arguing that the weapons pose an existential threat to the region, he told media.

Mr Yoon will leave on Tuesday for an Asean summit in Indonesia, and later in the week, he will travel to India for a meeting of Group of 20 leaders.

“The Republic of Korea and Asean must join forces to respond decisively and cooperate closely on North Korea’s denuclearisation,” Mr Yoon told Indonesia’s Kompas newspaper in an interview published on Tuesday.

“North Korea’s ever-increasing missile provocations and nuclear threats pose a direct and existential threat to Asean member states as well,” he said.

Mr Yoon said South Korea and the 10-member Asean must enhance their cooperation “so the rules-based international order will be able to take firm root in the Indo-Pacific region”.

Asean members will be joined at their summit this week by leaders and senior officials of other countries, including the United States, Japan, South Korea, China and Russia.

Mr Yoon will also meet Indonesian President Joko Widodo, said an official in Mr Yoon’s office.

Mr Yoon told Kompas that it was time to put relations between South Korea, Japan and China “back on track”, but the official in his office said it was unlikely there would be time in Jakarta for a three-way meeting between those leaders. Talks were expected later in the year.

With Asean and India accounting for 21 per cent of South Korea’s exports, Mr Yoon would promote exports in the nuclear, defence and infrastructure sectors during his trips to Indonesia and India, an official in Mr Yoon’s office told a briefing last week. REUTERS