Putin warns South Korea against 'big mistake' of supplying arms to Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said it would a very big mistake for South Korea to send weapons to Ukraine, which Seoul said it is considering in response to the new North Korea-Russia accord.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during press conference in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Thursday. [EPA/YONHAP]

Russian President Vladimir Putin said it would be a “very big mistake” for South Korea to provide weapons to Ukraine after Seoul indicated Thursday that supplying arms to Kyiv would be reconsidered in response to the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty signed by Moscow and Pyongyang.

North Korea and Russia signed a treaty that involves military assistance “without delay” if either is attacked during a summit between Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Wednesday. In response, the South Korean government said Thursday that it will reconsider its stance on the provision of lethal weapons.

Calling the possibility a “very big mistake,” Putin said during a press conference during his trip to Vietnam that he “hopes it will not happen,” adding that “if it does, then we too will then make a respective decision, which South Korea's current leadership is unlikely to be pleased with,” according to Russian news agency Sputnik.

The treaty signed between Kim and Putin closely resembles the 1961 treaty between North Korea and the Soviet Union, and with the clause on automatic military intervention in the case of an attack, is the most muscular accord of its kind since the Cold War.

The South Korean government condemned and expressed "grave concern" over the treaty and also criticized the premise of the promised military cooperation — a pre-emptive strike by the international community — as "absurd."

"We emphasize that any cooperation that directly or indirectly helps North Korea increase its military power is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions and is subject to monitoring and sanctions by the international community," an official statement from the presidential office said. "In particular, Russia, which led the resolution on sanctions against North Korea as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is harming our security by violating the resolution and supporting North Korea, which will inevitably have a negative impact on South Korea-Russia relations.”

Seoul has so far provided military supplies such as first-aid kits, medicine, portable mine detectors and protective gear to Ukraine, but has maintained the position of not providing lethal weapons to Kyiv.

Seoul’s Foreign Ministry summoned Georgy Zinoviev, the Russian ambassador, on Friday and lodged a protest over the new treaty signed by Kim and Putin.

First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun met with Zinoviev and delivered Seoul's position on the treaty on Friday, according to the Foreign Ministry. Kim emphasized that the stipulated military cooperation is in violation of UN Security Council resolutions and that it will have a negative impact on South Korea-Russia relations.

Foreign Ministry Cho Tae-yul, who is currently in New York attending a UN session, said on Thursday that it is “deplorable” that Russia has chosen to violate and ignore the resolutions that it has agreed to adopt as a permanent member of the Security Council.

Cho had a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday to discuss further responsive measures toward the new treaty and heightened ties between North Korea and Russia. Cho and Blinken agreed that the treaty "poses a significant threat to the security of both South Korea and the United States," and "seriously undermines peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region" and condemned it.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]