Yoon to speak against alleged North Korean, Russian arms deals at APEC

Foreign Minister Park Jin, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa are scheduled to hold a trilateral foreign ministerial meeting in San Francisco on the sidelines of APEC meetings.

A police officer stands on a bridge at the Moscone Convention Center, the venue of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' summit in San Francisco, California, on Monday. [AFP/YONHAP]

Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol slammed alleged arms deals between North Korea and Russia in an interview Tuesday, saying he plans to emphasize its security implications during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco this week.

Yoon also said that North Korean provocations would invite immediate retaliation by South Korean and U.S. forces in an interview with the Associated Press on the eve of his departure for San Francisco for the APEC meeting.

He pointed to concern that North Korea might "miscalculate" and make a move against the South while the world is focused on Russia's war on Ukraine and the conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

Yoon told the AP that "North Korea's provocations will not only fail to achieve its intended goal but also result in immediate and strong retaliation" from the South Korea-U. S. alliance and noted that an "effective way to prevent North Korea from miscalculating is to demonstrate our robust deterrence capabilities and determination."

This comes as U.S. government officials accuse Pyongyang and Moscow of engaging in arms deals, with North Korea reportedly eager to acquire sophisticated Russian weapon technologies in return for supplying Russia with conventional weapons for its war in Ukraine.

North Korea is also reportedly interested in Russia's satellite technology following the regime's back-to-back failures to put a military spy satellite into orbit in May and August.

In the interview, Yoon noted that if Pyongyang successfully launches a military reconnaissance satellite, it would signify that North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capabilities "have been taken to a higher level" and that the South "will have to come up with reinforced countermeasures."

Yoon said he'll underscore diverse security threats posed by "illegal" North Korean-Russian cooperation at APEC and discuss ways to strengthen cooperation.

Yoon begins a three-day visit to the United States on Wednesday, where he will attend the 21-member APEC summit and hold bilateral meetings with other world leaders attending the forum.

The U.S. repeatedly expressed its commitment to security on the Korean Peninsula in the lead-up to Yoon's trip, with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visiting Seoul last week and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Korea this week,

During a dinner meeting at the presidential residence in Seoul on Sunday, Yoon told the Austin and U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr. that the Ukraine-Russia war and the Israel-Hamas armed conflict were "directly or indirectly linked to North Korea."

Yoon asked the alliance to "immediately and resolutely punish" Pyongyang in the case of any miscalculation or provocation, "including a Hamas-style surprise attack," according to his office.

South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik likewise said Monday in a press briefing with the Pentagon chief that "Secretary Austin and I noted that we can never accept any nuclear attack by North Korea, and if it does use nuclear weapons, North Korea will face immediate, overwhelming and decisive response from the Republic of Korea and the United States which will lead to the end of the Kim [Jong-un] regime."

In a joint press conference with Blinken in Seoul on Nov. 9, Foreign Minister Park Jin said that military cooperation between Russia and the North is a "flagrant violation of [UN Security Council] resolutions, as well as a serious threat to the entire world."

Likewise, the top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan recently condemned arms deals between Russia and North Korea through a joint statement.

Foreign Minister Park, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa accompanying their leaders, are scheduled to hold a trilateral foreign ministerial meeting in San Francisco Tuesday on the sidelines of APEC meetings, said Seoul's Foreign Ministry.

They last held informal talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September.

They are expected to discuss ways to respond to the growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia and follow up on agreements made at the Camp David summit in August.

In addition, Washington is expected to explain the agenda and hear opinions from its key East Asian allies ahead of the closely monitored summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday.

U.S. officials have expressed hopes that a Xi-Biden summit could reestablish military communication between the two nations to avoid missteps in the Indo-Pacific region.

Yoon could also hold bilateral talks with Xi on the fringes of the APEC. They last held talks on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Bali in November 2022.

In San Francisco, Yoon is also set to attend a summit of the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) on Thursday.

The IPEF, a new U.S.-led economic bloc seen to be countering Chinese influence in the region, was launched by Biden in May 2022. It involves 14 member nations, including South Korea, the United States, Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]