Yoon to highlight serious threats from NK-Russia military cooperation at APEC summit: interview
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of their talks at the Vostochny Cosmodrome space launch center in the Russian Far East, Sept. 13, in this file photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency. Yonhap
President Yoon Suk Yeol said in an interview published Tuesday that military cooperation between North Korea and Russia poses serious threats to the region and beyond, and he plans to raise the issue during this week's summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
Yoon made the remarks in a written interview with the Associated Press, a day before he flies to San Francisco to attend the APEC summit, as the North is believed to have provided Russia with munitions and weapons for the war in Ukraine in exchange for Moscow's help with its military programs.
South Korean officials said the North has been preparing to make a third attempt to launch a military spy satellite after two failures earlier this year. Russia's technological assistance could help the North succeed in the upcoming launch.
"These two countries' military cooperation...not only poses a serious threat to the security of the Korean Peninsula, Northeast Asia and Europe but also undermines the universal rules-based international order," Yoon was quoted as saying.
Yoon said he will "underscore such diverse security threats" posed by the "illegal" military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow, and "discuss ways to strengthen cooperation" at the APEC meeting, according to the interview.
Yoon noted that North Korea's plan to launch a military reconnaissance satellite indicates it wants to advance its "nuclear delivery vehicle," and its successful launch will mean an advancement in its intercontinental ballistic missile capabilities.
"If North Korea succeeds in launching the military reconnaissance satellite, it would signify that North Korea's ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) capabilities have been taken to a higher level," Yoon said. "Therefore, we will have to come up with reinforced countermeasures."
Yoon warned that the North's provocations will bring "immediate and strong retaliation" from South Korea and the U.S. based on its alliance.
"An effective way to prevent North Korea from miscalculating is to demonstrate our robust deterrence capabilities and determination towards North Korea based on the solid ROK-U.S. joint defense posture," he said in the interview.
The ROK stands for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea. (Yonhap)