SEOUL: South Korea’s presidential office on Thursday condemned the agreement between Russia and South Korea. North Korea Which pledged mutual defense assistance in case of war and said it would reconsider its policy of limiting aid to Ukraine to non-lethal supplies.
The comments by a senior presidential official came hours after North Korean state media released details of an agreement between its leader Kim Jong Un and the Russian president. Vladimir Putin This was said during the summit in Pyongyang on Wednesday.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said the agreement requires both countries to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance in case of war.
South Korean President Yun Suk-yeol’s office issued a statement condemning the deal, calling it a threat to the South’s security and a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, and warned it would have negative consequences for Seoul’s relations with Moscow.
In response, Seoul would reconsider providing weapons to Ukraine to help the country fight off Russian aggression, said the presidential official, who spoke on condition of anonymity during a background briefing in accordance with office rules.
South Korea, a growing arms exporter whose military is backed by the United States, has provided humanitarian aid and other assistance to Ukraine while it is subject to US-led economic sanctions. It has adopted a policy of providing arms against Russia. But it has not directly provided arms to Ukraine, as it cites its old policy of not providing arms to countries actively involved in the conflict.
Kim and Putin They described their agreement as a major improvement in bilateral relations, which include security, trade, investment, cultural and humanitarian ties. Outside observers said it could be the strongest relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War.
KCNA said Article 4 of the agreement states that if one country is attacked and a state of war arises, the other country must deploy “all means at its disposal without delay” to provide “military and other assistance.” But it also states that such actions must be in accordance with the laws of both countries and Article 51 of the treaty. United Nations The Charter, which recognizes the right of a UN member state to self-defense.
The summit between Kim and Putin comes as the United States and its allies have expressed concern about a potential arms deal under which Pyongyang would provide Moscow with badly needed weapons for its war in Ukraine in exchange for economic aid and technology transfers, which could further increase the threat posed by Kim. nuclear weapon and missile programs.
After the summit, Kim said the two countries have a “fierce friendship” and the agreement is their “strongest agreement ever”, raising relations to the level of an alliance. He vowed full support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. Putin called it a “breakthrough document” that reflects shared desires to take relations to a higher level.
North Korea and the former Soviet Union signed a treaty in 1961 that experts say made it necessary for Moscow to intervene militarily if North Korea attacked. The agreement was scrapped after the collapse of the USSR and replaced in 2000 by an agreement that offered weaker security assurances.
A full day after the summit, South Korean officials said they were still interpreting the results, including what Russia’s response might be if North Korea were attacked. Analysts were mixed on whether the agreement committed Russia to automatic military deployments to North Korea in the event of war or was carefully worded to avoid such a commitment. It was also not immediately clear why the article cited the U.N. Charter.
“We are currently reviewing the details of the treaty signed between Russia and North Korea during President Putin’s visit to North Korea. We will announce our government’s position after the review is completed,” South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Lim Soosuk said during a briefing.
Still, Lim expressed regret that Moscow and Pyongyang signed the deal openly talking about military and technology cooperation, which would violate UN Security Council resolutions.
“Based on our in-depth analysis and assessment of the outcomes of (Putin’s) visit, including the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty signed between Russia and North Korea, we will work together with the international community, including our allies and friends, to take strong and decisive measures against any actions that threaten our security,” Lim said.
The agreement came as Putin visited North Korea for the first time in 24 years. The visit showcases their personal and geopolitical ties. Kim hugged Putin twice at the airport, with huge Russian flags and portraits of Putin in front of his convoy. Apart from this, a welcome ceremony was held on Pyongyang’s main square in which thousands of spectators were present.
According to KCNA, the agreement also states that Pyongyang and Moscow should not enter into agreements with third parties if they violate the “fundamental interests” of others and should not participate in actions that pose a threat to those interests.
KCNA said the agreements require the countries to take steps to prepare joint measures aimed at strengthening their defense capabilities to prevent war and safeguard regional and global peace and security. The agency did not clarify what those steps are, or whether they would include joint military training and other cooperation.
KCNA said the agreement calls on countries to actively cooperate in efforts to establish a “just and multipolar new world order,” emphasizing how the countries are uniting to confront their separate, growing confrontations with the United States.
Kim has made Russia a priority in recent months as he pursues a foreign policy that aims to expand ties with countries that are at odds with Washington, embrace the idea of a “new Cold War” and try to show a united front in Putin’s broader conflicts with the West.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest level in years, with weapons tests by Kim Jong Un and joint military exercises by the United States, South Korea and Japan accelerating.
The Koreas have also waged Cold War-style psychological warfare, with North Korea dropping tons of garbage onto South Korea via balloons and South Korea broadcasting anti-North Korea propaganda over its loudspeakers.
The comments by a senior presidential official came hours after North Korean state media released details of an agreement between its leader Kim Jong Un and the Russian president. Vladimir Putin This was said during the summit in Pyongyang on Wednesday.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said the agreement requires both countries to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance in case of war.
South Korean President Yun Suk-yeol’s office issued a statement condemning the deal, calling it a threat to the South’s security and a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, and warned it would have negative consequences for Seoul’s relations with Moscow.
In response, Seoul would reconsider providing weapons to Ukraine to help the country fight off Russian aggression, said the presidential official, who spoke on condition of anonymity during a background briefing in accordance with office rules.
South Korea, a growing arms exporter whose military is backed by the United States, has provided humanitarian aid and other assistance to Ukraine while it is subject to US-led economic sanctions. It has adopted a policy of providing arms against Russia. But it has not directly provided arms to Ukraine, as it cites its old policy of not providing arms to countries actively involved in the conflict.
Kim and Putin They described their agreement as a major improvement in bilateral relations, which include security, trade, investment, cultural and humanitarian ties. Outside observers said it could be the strongest relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War.
KCNA said Article 4 of the agreement states that if one country is attacked and a state of war arises, the other country must deploy “all means at its disposal without delay” to provide “military and other assistance.” But it also states that such actions must be in accordance with the laws of both countries and Article 51 of the treaty. United Nations The Charter, which recognizes the right of a UN member state to self-defense.
The summit between Kim and Putin comes as the United States and its allies have expressed concern about a potential arms deal under which Pyongyang would provide Moscow with badly needed weapons for its war in Ukraine in exchange for economic aid and technology transfers, which could further increase the threat posed by Kim. nuclear weapon and missile programs.
After the summit, Kim said the two countries have a “fierce friendship” and the agreement is their “strongest agreement ever”, raising relations to the level of an alliance. He vowed full support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. Putin called it a “breakthrough document” that reflects shared desires to take relations to a higher level.
North Korea and the former Soviet Union signed a treaty in 1961 that experts say made it necessary for Moscow to intervene militarily if North Korea attacked. The agreement was scrapped after the collapse of the USSR and replaced in 2000 by an agreement that offered weaker security assurances.
A full day after the summit, South Korean officials said they were still interpreting the results, including what Russia’s response might be if North Korea were attacked. Analysts were mixed on whether the agreement committed Russia to automatic military deployments to North Korea in the event of war or was carefully worded to avoid such a commitment. It was also not immediately clear why the article cited the U.N. Charter.
“We are currently reviewing the details of the treaty signed between Russia and North Korea during President Putin’s visit to North Korea. We will announce our government’s position after the review is completed,” South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Lim Soosuk said during a briefing.
Still, Lim expressed regret that Moscow and Pyongyang signed the deal openly talking about military and technology cooperation, which would violate UN Security Council resolutions.
“Based on our in-depth analysis and assessment of the outcomes of (Putin’s) visit, including the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty signed between Russia and North Korea, we will work together with the international community, including our allies and friends, to take strong and decisive measures against any actions that threaten our security,” Lim said.
The agreement came as Putin visited North Korea for the first time in 24 years. The visit showcases their personal and geopolitical ties. Kim hugged Putin twice at the airport, with huge Russian flags and portraits of Putin in front of his convoy. Apart from this, a welcome ceremony was held on Pyongyang’s main square in which thousands of spectators were present.
According to KCNA, the agreement also states that Pyongyang and Moscow should not enter into agreements with third parties if they violate the “fundamental interests” of others and should not participate in actions that pose a threat to those interests.
KCNA said the agreements require the countries to take steps to prepare joint measures aimed at strengthening their defense capabilities to prevent war and safeguard regional and global peace and security. The agency did not clarify what those steps are, or whether they would include joint military training and other cooperation.
KCNA said the agreement calls on countries to actively cooperate in efforts to establish a “just and multipolar new world order,” emphasizing how the countries are uniting to confront their separate, growing confrontations with the United States.
Kim has made Russia a priority in recent months as he pursues a foreign policy that aims to expand ties with countries that are at odds with Washington, embrace the idea of a “new Cold War” and try to show a united front in Putin’s broader conflicts with the West.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest level in years, with weapons tests by Kim Jong Un and joint military exercises by the United States, South Korea and Japan accelerating.
The Koreas have also waged Cold War-style psychological warfare, with North Korea dropping tons of garbage onto South Korea via balloons and South Korea broadcasting anti-North Korea propaganda over its loudspeakers.
