Cheong Wa Dae denies report of nat'l security adviser meeting Russian official in Kazakhstan

National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac gives a press briefing at a hotel in Rome, June 15, while accompanying President Lee Jae Myung on a state visit to Italy. Yonhap

Cheong Wa Dae denied a news report Friday that National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac met with a senior Russian government official during a visit to Kazakhstan last month.

According to the Donga Ilbo newspaper, which quoted multiple unnamed diplomatic sources, Wi met the Russian official behind closed doors during his May 28-30 trip, in an apparent effort to manage South Korea-Russia tensions triggered by the war in Ukraine.

"The national security adviser's visit to Kazakhstan was intended for bilateral consultations between South Korea and Kazakhstan," Cheong Wa Dae said, dismissing the report as untrue.

"South Korea and Russia are having necessary communication through the countries' embassies and other diplomatic channels in order to stably manage bilateral relations and protect our people and businesses," it added.