SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shared concerns over growing ties between Russia and North Korea and agreed to continue their security cooperation, a statement from Yoon’s office said on Thursday.
The two leaders, who are attending the NATO summit for the third consecutive year, met on the sidelines of the event in Washington on Wednesday.
Military and economic cooperation between Russia and North Korea is a security concern for East Asia but also globally, Yoon was quoted as saying by his office.
Yoon also added Pyongyang and Moscow’s growing ties underscore the significance of a trilateral summit at Camp David with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japan’s Kishida last year where they agreeed to deepen military and economic cooperation.
Since taking office in 2022, Yoon has sought to mend ties with Tokyo which have been challenged by historical disputes stemming from Japan’s 1910-1945 occupation of Korea.
In a recent interview with Reuters, Yoon warned Russia over its deepening military ties with North Korea.
Seoul and Washington have accused North Korea of supplying artillery and ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine, which both Moscow and Pyongyang deny.
(Reporting by Hyunsu Yim; Editing by Kim Coghill and Michael Perry)
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