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Korea's Foreign Ministry protests China and Russia's calls for ending sanctions on North

Published: 14 May. 2025, 16:27

Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during their meeting before the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, on May 9. [AP/YONHAP]

South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned senior diplomats from the Chinese and Russian embassies in Seoul to lodge a formal protest over a joint statement issued by Beijing and Moscow calling for an end to sanctions on North Korea.

The Foreign Ministry summoned deputy-level officials from both embassies on Tuesday, according to diplomatic sources on Wednesday.

“We regret that the joint statement did not mention North Korea’s illegal nuclear development and provocations at all, but rather supported North Korea’s position and unfairly shifted responsibility for the heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula,” the Foreign Ministry said.

“What China and Russia should be doing at this point is to persistently persuade and pressure North Korea — which continues to pursue military buildup while threatening peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia — to halt its illegal nuclear development and provocations and return to dialogue and diplomacy,” said the ministry.

The embassy officials reportedly responded by saying they would “relay the message to their respective governments.”

On Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a joint statement following a summit at the Kremlin in Moscow.

The statement said the two sides “support a comprehensive resolution of Korean Peninsula issues through political and diplomatic means alone” and “urge all countries to cease sanctions and pressure against North Korea.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]