South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said at the UN General Assembly that if North Korea acquires the information and technology necessary to enhance its weapons program in exchange for supporting Russia with conventional weapons, the deal will be a direct provocation threatening the peace and security of not only Ukraine but also the Republic of Korea.
Earlier this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un undertook a week-long visit to Russia, during which both countries held talks for closer military and other cooperation.
The trip by the North Korean leader signifies “a fresh heyday of friendship, solidarity, and cooperation is being opened up in the history of the development of relations between the DPRK and Russia,” North Korean state news agency KCNA said, using the initials for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
South Korean President Yoon further asserted that it is paradoxical that a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, entrusted as the ultimate guardian of world peace, would wage war by invading another sovereign nation.
Seoul and Washington have expressed concern that Russia could be trying to acquire ammunition from North Korea to supplement stockpiles thinning as a result of its war in Ukraine, while Pyongyang seeks technological help for its nuclear and missile programs.
(Inputs from Reuters)