South Korea summons Russian ambassador over Moscow’s pact with Pyongyang
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South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (seen together in a file photo) discussed ways to respond to the North Korea-Russia summit.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SEOUL – South Korea’s foreign ministry said it summoned the Russian ambassador in protest of a pact between Russia and North Korea signed in Pyongyang this week, as a Reuters witness saw him enter the ministry building on June 21.
South Korean First Vice-Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun conveyed Seoul’s stance on the pact and military cooperation between Russia and North Korea
Mr Kim told Mr Zinoviev that Russia’s military support for North Korea harms South Korea’s security and would inevitably have a “negative impact” on relations between Seoul and Moscow.
He also urged Russia to “act responsibly”, according to the ministry.
Mr Zinoviev was quoted as saying by the Russian embassy in Seoul that attempts to intimidate Russia are unacceptable.
“The ambassador said that cooperation between Russia and North Korea is not aimed at a third country,” the embassy said in a post on X soon after he was summoned to the ministry.
South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken have condemned the treaty as a serious threat to regional peace and stability, Seoul’s foreign ministry said in a statement on June 21.
The two in a phone call on June 20 also discussed ways to respond to the summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and agreed to closely monitor the situation, the ministry said.
Mr Blinken said the United States supports South Korea’s responses to security threats. Under the pact, Moscow and Pyongyang said each country would provide immediate military assistance if either faces armed aggression.
Mr Cho said any cooperation to help strengthen North Korea’s military capabilities is a clear violation of the UN Security Council resolutions, according to the statement.
The US will consider various ways to respond to the threat to international peace and stability from Russia and North Korea, Mr Blinken was quoted as saying by the ministry.
Mr Cho also spoke on the phone with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, and both expressed grave concern over the treaty between Moscow and Pyongyang, according to the ministry.
South Korean national security adviser Chang Ho-jin said on June 20 Seoul would review the possibility of supplying weapons to Ukraine in response to the landmark pact. REUTERS
