Yoon likely to ask China, Russia to get tougher on North

A bomb squad unit leads sniffer dogs as they patrol outside the venue of the upcoming Asean Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Monday. [AP/YONHAP]

President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to urge the international community to respond more sternly to North Korea's escalating missile provocations and nuclear threats and work towards cutting off funds for its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) program in a series of upcoming multilateral forums.

On Tuesday, Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee will begin a weeklong trip to Indonesia for a series of Asean-related meetings and India for the Group of 20, or G20, summit.

"As North Korea reopened its borders after the Covid-19 pandemic, a large number of workers sent to Russia and China are unable to keep the money they have earned and send a significant amount of dollars back to North Korean authorities," a senior presidential official told reporters Monday.

The official said Yoon could urge Russia and China, permanent members of the UN Security Council, to play a more responsible role in preventing North Korea's illegal nuclear and missile programs.

He noted that banks in China are being used in the process of converting stolen virtual assets into cash. The official said that "there is room for China and Russia to cooperate" on such issues.

Yoon told the Associated Press in an interview published Monday that Beijing "seems to have considerable leverage" over Pyongyang, noting that about 97 percent of North Korea's total external trade volume last year was with China.

He said Beijing must put forth "constructive efforts" to denuclearize Pyongyang and realize that North Korea's nuclear program has "a negative effect on China's national interests by further disrupting regional order among other things."

Yoon told AP that the G20 summit in New Delhi will be an opportunity to underscore the need to actively deter North Korea from stealing cryptocurrency, dispatching overseas workers, facilitating maritime transshipments and other illegal activities, seen as main funding sources for its missile and nuclear weapons programs.

This comes as he plans to call on the international community "to resolutely respond to North Korea's ever-escalating missile provocations and nuclear threats."

In Jakarta, Yoon will attend meetings with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean, and hold a bilateral summit with Indonesian President Joko Widodo as the two countries mark the 50th anniversary of bilateral ties.

Yoon will spend four days in Jakarta and head to New Delhi Friday.

"Geopolitical competition between powerful countries is fierce, as is competition in values and ideologies, but from our perspective, synergy can be created in terms of national interest, and the two countries are very important regions in terms of expanding practical networking and business diplomacy," the senior presidential official said Monday on the upcoming visits.

The official noted that the Korea-India and Korea-Indonesia relations "have a special advantage in that they have pursued diverse cooperation, not only defense industry cooperation, but also in economic security, cutting-edge technology and the environment."
He added that "In particular, with Korea's combined soft power and cultural charm, our countries are creating a more special bond through youth and student exchanges, and social and cultural exchanges."

There are at least 14 confirmed bilateral summits on the sidelines of the gatherings, according to the presidential office. This includes bilateral talks with Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Canada and Laos on the margins of the Asean gathering, and India, Spain, Argentina, Mauritius, Bangladesh and Comoros on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.

Schedules are being coordinated with six other countries, said a presidential official.

A separate summit of Mikta countries, a gathering of five middle-power countries involving Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey and Australia, will be held in India.

It is unclear if Chinese President Xi Jinping will take part in the G20 Summit, which could be an opportunity for a second bilateral summit with Yoon after their first talks in November 2022 in Bali, Indonesia, on the margins of last year's G20 gathering.

"As things stand now, I don't think we are in a position to plan a summit between South Korea and China in India," said the official.

The multilateral summits will also be a venue for Yoon to promote Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo, ahead of the secret ballot in November.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]