Yoon blasts North Korea-Russia military cooperation at East Asia Summit

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Yoon blasts North Korea-Russia military cooperation at East Asia Summit

Published: 11 Oct. 2024, 16:22

LIM JEONG-WON
lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks at the Korea-Asean summit held at the National Convention Center in Vientiane, Laos on Thursday. [NEWS1]

President Yoon Suk Yeol said that Russia and North Korea's illegal military cooperation is further prolonging the war in Ukraine and is a direct challenge to UN Security Council resolutions on Friday in Laos.

Yoon, who was visiting Vientiane to attend a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) meetings, said at the East Asia Summit (EAS) held Friday that “we need to further strengthen solidarity to protect the rules-based international order,” according to the presidential office the same day.

“South Korea will expand its security and humanitarian and reconstruction support programs for Ukraine through the Ukraine Peace Solidarity Initiative,” said Yoon. “We will closely cooperate with the international community in this process.”

Yoon also emphasized that “freedom of navigation and overflight must be guaranteed in the South China Sea in accordance with international law principles, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.”

Yoon directly addressed sensitive issues, such as Russia-North Korea cooperation, the war in Ukraine and tensions in the South China Sea at a meeting attended by the Chinese and Russian delegations.

The EAS is a regional security forum that expands upon Asean plus three and consists of the 10 Asean countries and South Korea, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, India, the United States and Russia.

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping did not attend the EAS this year.

At the EAS, Yoon also focused on securing international support for his unification doctrine, which he first announced in his Liberation Day address on Aug. 15.

“North Korea is suppressing the livelihood and human rights of its people solely for the sake of the regime's security, and is threatening its own people with nuclear weapons," criticized Yoon. "North Korea's actions will endanger peace not only in Northeast Asia but also in the entire Indo-Pacific region. In order to have a free, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific, North Korea's denuclearization must be achieved above all else. To this end, the international community must clearly demonstrate that it will never tolerate North Korea's nuclear development and provocations.

“The Aug. 15 Unification Doctrine presents a vision of a free and open unified Korean Peninsula, and I ask for your support to breathe the spirit of freedom into North Korea and to widely inform North Korean residents about the outside world,” continued Yoon.

The South Korean president also urged the EAS to play a role in international conflicts.

“The conflict in Myanmar is a test of our problem-solving capabilities, and violence must stop immediately and all parties involved must begin dialogue,” said Yoon. “The South Korean government plans to provide $23 million this year to improve the humanitarian situation in Myanmar.”

Regarding the armed conflict in the Middle East, Yoon said the hostilities were“directly related to peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region.” He said, “We must all join forces to quickly conclude cease-fire and hostage release negotiations and resolve the humanitarian crisis.”

With the EAS on Friday, Yoon wrapped up a six-day trip to the Philippines, Singapore and Laos. During the trip, Yoon signed a comprehensive strategic partnership with Asean and a strategic partnership with the Philippines.

President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee wave as they board their plane before returning to Korea at Wattay International Airport in Vientiane, Laos, on the Friday, after completing their schedules related to the Asean summit. [YONHAP]

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]