Yoon warns against military cooperation with North at Asean summit

Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, speaks during the South Korea-Asean summit at the Balai Sidang Jakarta Convention Center in Indonesia on Wednesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

In a summit with Asean members states in Indonesia on Wednesday, President Yoon Suk Yeol warned that any "attempts at military cooperation with North Korea that undermines peace in the international community must be immediately stopped."

Lee Do-woon, the presidential spokesman, said that Yoon issued his warning during the South Korea-Asean summit in Jakarta in a trip to attend a series of meetings involving the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It also doubles as a bilateral visit to Indonesia.

Yoon's warning comes after reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is expected to visit Vladivostok to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin later this month for possible talks about an arms deals amid Russia's war in Ukraine.

The meeting was an opportunity for Yoon to stress the need for "a stern and united response from the international community in order to achieve North Korea's complete denuclearization in light of the severity of its nuclear and missile threats," said the presidential office in a statement.

"South Korea, the United States and Japan have decided to coordinate each of our Indo-Pacific strategies and explore new areas of cooperation based on full support for the Asean-led regional structure," Yoon said at the beginning of the meeting.

He referred to his trilateral summit with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at Camp David last month which institutionalized three-way cooperation to better respond to regional and global threats including North Korea.

The three leaders also agreed to support the maritime security capabilities of Asean and Pacific Island countries through agreements reached at the summit.

Yoon further highlighted his commitment to the Korea-Asean Solidarity Initiative, or KASI, with plans to strengthen cooperation in the fields of security, economy and global crisis response, according to the presidential office.

The 10 Asean member states are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee kicked off their weeklong trip on Tuesday, which will later take them to India for the Group of 20, or G20, summit in New Delhi.

After arriving in Jakarta on Tuesday, Yoon and Kim met with Korean residents living in Indonesia.

On Thursday, Yoon will take part in the East Asia Summit, a regional security forum bringing together leaders from 18 countries.

On Friday, Yoon will hold a summit with Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the presidential palace in Jakarta as part of a bilateral visit marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

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