3 ay önce

South Korea summons Russian envoy to protest new pact with North Korea

Seoul's presidential office condemned the strategic treaty as a threat to national security in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, warning of a negative impact on its relations with Moscow.

AFP

The Russian ambassador to South Korea said that threats and blackmail against Moscow over its increasingly close ties to North Korea are unacceptable. / Photo: AFP

South Korea has summoned the Russian ambassador to protest a new Russia-North Korea treaty that calls for immediate military assistance if either country is attacked, Yonhap News reported.

First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun called in Russian Ambassador Georgy Zinoviev to deliver Seoul's position on the "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty signed at a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang on Wednesday.

South Korea's presidential office condemned the pact as a threat to national security in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, warning of a negative impact on its relations with Moscow.

The Russian ambassador to South Korea said he had told the Asian country's foreign ministry that threats and blackmail against Moscow over its increasingly close ties to North Korea are unacceptable.

Seoul also said it will reconsider its stance on the arms supply to Ukraine. South Korea has maintained a policy of only providing non-lethal aid to Kiev.

Putin, on a state visit to Vietnam, warned that it would be a "very big mistake" if South Korea provided lethal weapons to Ukraine.