Foreign Ministry summons Russian envoy to protest over cooperation with the North

North Korea

Published: 19 Sep. 2023, 16:07 Updated: 19 Sep. 2023, 19:43

Foreign Ministry summons Russian envoy to protest over cooperation with the North

First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Chang Ho-jin, right, with Russian Ambassador to Seoul Andrey Borisovich Kulik at the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday. [MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS]

The South Korean Foreign Ministry warned Russia to immediately halt any military cooperation with North Korea and comply with UN Security Council resolutions Tuesday.

First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Chang Ho-jin summoned Russian Ambassador to South Korea Andrey Borisovich Kulik to the Foreign Ministry headquarters to convey the South Korean government's serious concerns regarding discussions of arms trades and military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang during North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's visit to Russia last week, the ministry said in a statement.

Chang pointed out that Russia, as a permanent member of the Security Council, must "act responsibly," and that Seoul will cooperate with the international community to make sure that there are "clear consequences" if there are any actions that go against UN sanctions resolutions.

The ministry said Kulik listened carefully to Seoul's position and said he will relay it back to his government.

The summoning of the Russian ambassador came the same day that North Korea's state media reported that Kim had returned home after a trip to Russia that "opened a new chapter" for the two countries' relations.

Kim passed through the Tumangang Railway Station on the North Korean-Russian border early Monday morning, according to the state-controlled Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The North Korean leader left Pyongyang in his armored train on Sept. 10 for a six-day trip to the Russian Far East, where he held a summit with President Vladimir Putin and toured a series of key military sites, including the Vostochny Cosmodrome spaceport as well as the Yuri Gagarin and Yakovlev aircraft plants in Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

His tour and entourage, made up of key military and science officials that included Korean People's Army Marshal Ri Pyong-chol, who oversees the North's nuclear weapons and missile programs, and Pak Thae-song, chairman of the North's national space science and technology committee, appeared to presage growing military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow, particularly in trading weapons and satellite technology.

Kim also expressed support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, telling Putin at their summit that Russia is "waging a sacred fight against the West," adding that Pyongyang will work together with Moscow to "fight against imperialism" and is supportive of "all decisions" made by Putin, according to Russian state media.

The Russian president in turn noted Kim's "great interest" in developing military reconnaissance satellites, suggesting that the North Korean leader will receive a much-needed boost of technological assistance to launch a spy satellite into orbit after two failed launches earlier this year.

In this photo released by the Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper published by the North's ruling Workers' Party, regime leader Kim Jong-un is sent off by Russian Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Alexander Kozlov at a station in Artyom, near Vladivostok, Russia, on Sunday. [NEWS1]

The North Korean leader departed Russia on Sunday, according to state media reports.

The day after Kim's departure, Beijing announced that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had also embarked a four-day trip to Russia to shore up strategic ties between the two countries.

Wang will be in Russia for bilateral strategic security consultations, according to a statement released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday.

While China posits itself as a neutral arbiter and potential peacemaker regarding Russia's war against Ukraine, U.S. intelligence has accused Beijing of aiding Moscow economically by buying Russian oil and supplying dual civilian-military use technology since the war began.

After Wang met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for talks on Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement noting that the two officials discussed the Ukraine war and "noted the futility of attempts to settle the crisis without taking account of Russia's interests and, more particularly, its participation."

Although Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Monday referred to the two countries as "each other's biggest neighbors and comprehensive strategic partners of coordination for a new era," it remains to be seen just how closely China is willing to be seen as aligned with Russia on various issues, including North Korea.

While Moscow has called for joint military drills between North Korea, Russia and China to form a cohesive front against the United States and its East Asian allies South Korea and Japan, Beijing has not actively taken up this suggestion, despite having previously conducted joint naval drills with Russia.

Kim's return to the North and Wang's trip to Russia come as Pyongyang's illicit weapons programs, which Moscow now appears to support, have emerged as an increasingly urgent matter on the world stage.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng shake hands while posing for photos on Monday in New York. [AP/YONHAP]

According to the U.S. State Department, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where they exchanged views on North Korea's "provocative actions," Russia's invasion of Ukraine and maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait.

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The statement said that the two chief diplomats engaged in a "candid and constructive" discussion and agreed to maintain open lines of communication but did not go into details.

Regarding his meeting with the Chinese vice president, Blinken said, "It's a good thing that we have this opportunity to build on the recent high-level engagements that our countries have had to make sure that we're maintaining open communications and demonstrate that we are responsibly managing the relationship between our two countries."

While he did not specify specific points of disagreement during his public remarks, Han told Blinken that U.S.-China relations face "difficulties and challenges" that require both countries to show "more sincerity" and make additional efforts to "meet each other halfway."

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]