South Korean and U.S. diplomats held an urgent phone call to condemn the agreement signed between North Korea and Russia.
As reported by South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on June 21, Cho Tae Yul, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, held a phone call with Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, on June 20. Although Cho is currently known to be on a business trip in New York for the UN Security Council, they urgently condemn the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement between North Korea and Russia.
The leaders of the two countries emphasized, “The agreement that strengthens North Korea and Russia’s military and economic cooperation is a serious threat to the security of South Korea and the U.S. It severely threatens peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, including nearby areas,” adding, ” We strongly condemn it.”
Cho stated that any cooperation that directly or indirectly assists North Korea’s military buildup is a clear violation of the UN Security Council resolution. Cho also said that South Korea and the U.S. should closely cooperate to lead the international community’s firm response.
According to South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cho also explained to Blinken the measures the South Korean government announced. This includes independent sanctions against North Korea and new designations of export control items against Russia. In response, Blinken expressed his gratitude for Cho’s explanation and declared his support for South Korea’s legitimate measures in response to security threats. He also suggested that the two countries respond firmly together to any threat based on the solid South Korea-U.S. alliance.
Blinken added that the U.S. will actively consider various measures to respond to the threat from North Korea and Russia to international peace and stability, including the Korean Peninsula.
South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the two ministers agreed to continue monitoring related trends and maintaining seamless cooperation based on the solid South Korea-U.S. alliance against North Korea’s provocations and tension-raising actions. They also included the work to improve the extended deterrence of the South Korea-U.S. alliance and the South Korea-U.S.-Japan security cooperation to neutralize North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.
North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a summit on June 19 and signed the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement.
The agreement states that “if one of the two parties is in a state of war due to a military invasion, the other will provide military and other aid with all means it possesses immediately according to the laws of both countries,” allowing Russia to intervene militarily on the Korean Peninsula in case of emergency.