S Korea, Japan worry about N Korea's deepening ties with Russia

South Korean and Japanese leaders expressed "serious concern" over North Korea’s missile development and deepening military ties with Russia, local media reported.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol agreed to work together with the US to address security issues during their meeting on Sunday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima, Peru, according to Kyodo News agency.

The two leaders also confirmed that they will strengthen bilateral ties in a "comprehensive" manner, including not only politics and business but other areas such as culture.

This was the second meeting between Yoon and Ishiba since the latter took office in October.

Ishiba said he wants to maintain the thaw in relations that existed under his predecessor Fumio Kishida and Yoon.

Next year, Tokyo and Seoul will commemorate the 60th anniversary of bilateral normalization.

On Friday, US President Joe Biden, Premier Shigeru Ishiba, and President Yoon Suk Yeol also met in Peru's capital Lima and agreed to form a secretariat to advance their trilateral cooperation, while condemning North Korea and Russia's alleged decision to "dangerously expand" the war in Ukraine.

The US, South Korea and Ukraine claimed that North Korean troops had been deployed to Kursk to fight Ukrainian forces, but Pyongyang has not confirmed the claims.