South Korean President Will Discuss North Korea's Real Threats At NATO Summit

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol / PHOTO Arlington National Cemetery via Wikimedia Commons

JAKARTA - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will discuss with NATO leaders about the real threat North Korea poses to Europe through military relations with Russia.

According to Yoon, this fully depends on Russia in terms of what they want to do in the future with South Korea.

Seoul was confirmed to be making decisions regarding weapons support for Ukraine based on how the new military agreement between Moscow and Pyongyang was implemented.

"Military cooperation between Russia and North Korea poses a major threat and challenge to peace and security on the Korean peninsula and in Europe," Yoon told Reuters.

The statement comes in a written response to a Reuters question ahead of a visit to Washington to attend a NATO summit.

Yoon, who became the first South Korean leader to attend the NATO summit in 2022, departs today attending a NATO summit in Washington.

Together with Australia, Japan and New Zealand, South Korea are four Asian-Pacific partners who joined the talks on July 10 and 11.

Relations between South Korea and Russia deteriorated when Moscow received deliveries of ballistic missiles and artillery from Pyongyang for the war against Ukraine. Both Russia and North Korea rejected the deal.

Russia calls South Korea the most friendly country among hostile countries, and President Vladimir Putin said the country would make a big mistake if it decided to supply weapons to Ukraine.

South Korea protested when Putin visited Pyongyang in June and signed an agreement with leader Kim Jong Un covering a common defense.

"North Korea is clearly a threat to the international community," Yoon said in his comments.

"I hope Russia will wisely decide which party is South or North which is more important and necessary for its own interests," he added.

The future of South Korea-Russia relations relies entirely on Russia's actions, referring to South Korea with its official name, the Republic of Korea, Yoon said.