At the East Asia Summit (EAS) foreign ministers’ meeting and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) held in Vientiane, Laos, tensions flared between South Korea and North Korea-Russia military cooperation.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul strongly condemned North Korea’s repeated provocative actions as a violation of numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions during the meetings on the 27th, emphasizing that denuclearization is North Korea’s only viable option.
In response, Russia and North Korea stood united against the condemnation. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized the US-ROK Deterrence Operations Plan as a threat during the EAS meeting, justifying North Korea-Russia military cooperation.
Cho reiterated a firm stance against North Korea-Russia military cooperation during a separate informal meeting with Lavrov, emphasizing the need to prevent further threats to South Korea’s security.
The ASEAN Regional Forum, the only multilateral security dialogue involving North Korea, saw North Korean ambassador Ri Yong-chol attend instead of the foreign minister.
The chilly relationship between North and South Korea was evident during the meetings, with Cho recounting an awkward exchange with the North Korean ambassador at a dinner event.
Overall, tensions escalated with both sides presenting contrasting views on nuclear issues on the Korean Peninsula, highlighting the need for diplomatic resolutions to prevent further escalation.
For further details, contact minggu@hani.co.kr.