South Korea’s Yoon Fires Shots at Russia: Choose Between Koreas or Face Consequences

President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is set to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Washington, D.C., has warned sternly against Russia’s close ties with North Korea in a recent interview with Reuters.

According to Yonhap News on Monday, Yoon called North Korea “a menace to the international society,” adding that Moscow must choose between the two Koreas where its true interests lie. 

The response came in a written interview with Reuters.

Yoon emphasized that it “depends entirely” on Russia, where it wants to take future ties with South Korea, adding that Seoul would decide on arms support for Ukraine based on how a new military pact between Moscow and Pyongyang plays out.

He also said that the military cooperation between Russia and North Korea poses a distinct threat and grave challenge to the peace and security on the Korean peninsula and in Europe.

He added that he will bring this issue to the upcoming NATO summit.

Yoon expressed concerns that “Russia, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and participant in the North Korea sanctions resolution, is involved in illegal military cooperation, and concerns over Russia’s military and economic cooperation with North Korea are growing.”

He further pointed out, “If Russia continues to violate UN resolutions, it will undoubtedly have a negative impact on Russia-Korea relations.”

Regarding the relationship with the United States ahead of the presidential election, he stated, “The US-Korea alliance has solidified its bipartisan support base in the states over the past 70 years. Therefore, I believe it will remain strong in the future.”

The South Korean Presidential Office reported that Yoon declared the most realistic and desirable solution to counter the North Korean nuclear and missile threat is to “firmly establish the U.S.-Korea extended deterrence strategy.”

It added, “Since the ‘Washington Declaration last April, the U.S.-Korea alliance has been strengthening its deterrence and response capabilities against the North Korean nuclear and missile threat through the launch of the Nuclear Consultation Group (NCG).”

Yoon is set to depart on Monday for the Washington event, making him the first president to attend the NATO summit for three consecutive years.

He also announced that he would invite NATO member countries to a cyber defense training hosted by the country’s intelligence agency in Seoul in September to elevate cooperation with NATO to the next level.

Additionally, he announced plans to co-host a high-level meeting in September in Seoul with the Netherlands on the responsible military use of artificial intelligence (AI).