SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that Russia should immediately halt moves to expand military cooperation with North Korea and vowed to take stern actions.
South Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin summoned Russia’s ambassador in Seoul to urge “Russia to immediately halt any moves to expand military cooperation with North Korea and to abide by (UN) Security Council Resolutions,” South Korea’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Chang also said Seoul will coordinate with the international community to sternly respond to any actions that threaten its security.
Seoul’s message comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was presented with options for military cooperation when he met Russian President Vladimir Putin last week at Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome space center.
The summit raised concern that Pyongyang and Moscow could trade artillery and rockets, which Russia could use for attacks on Ukraine.
(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin, Cynthia Kim; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Sharon Singleton)
